


We Bear It, So They Don't Have To

by Heda_Courtney



Category: The 100 (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27606302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heda_Courtney/pseuds/Heda_Courtney
Summary: The Commander had abandoned Clarke and the Sky People at Mount Weather. Lexa was not okay with that decision.Rewrite of S2 E15 Blood Must Have Blood and onward. The first few chapters will be canon, then will diverge after that. Lexa does NOT die in this story.I do not own The 100 or the characters, only my story.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 72
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Flashbacks are in italics.

Clarke approaches Lexa, after pacing did little to ease her nerves. “It’s taking too long,” Clarke says. “It takes as long as it takes,” Lexa responds, as her eyes glance up towards the door. “What will you do when it’s over?” she asks, hoping to take Clarke’s mind off what is about to happen. Clarke shakes her head slightly and says, “I have no idea.” Lexa turns to took at her and says, “Well, what do you want?” “Nothing,” Clarke replies. “My people back.” She turns to look at Lexa. Clarke remarks that she can’t think past today. Lexa stands void of emotion, but says “You should come with me to the capital”. Clarke turns to meet her eyes and Lexa continues. “Polis will change the way you think about us.” Clarke takes her hand and says, “You already have.”

Clarke thinks back to the first time she realized she had feelings for Lexa. Lexa was about to allow her to kill Quint, a Grounder who had tried to kill Clarke, when the Pauna attacked. Clarke could have left Lexa to die, but she didn’t. Clarke knew, in that moment, that Lexa needed to see that love and having feelings was not weakness, but could be strength. Clarke also knew that the truce would never hold if Lexa died.

As Clarke waits for the signal from Raven, she remembers when Lexa had finally allowed her mask to slip, and her emotions to show through.

_Clarke approached Heda’s tent, ready to rip into her for trying to kill Octavia. Heda stood strong through Clarke’s barrage of attacks, but allowed Lexa to slip in when Clarke implied that Heda felt for the people killed in Tondc, but allowed them to burn anyway. “Not everyone. Not you,” Lexa said, with a tear forming in her eye. Clarke took a step back, confused. Clarke asked Lexa to trust her, but by then, Lexa was gone, replaced instead by Heda, who could trust no one but herself. Clarke issued her ultimatum and left. Lexa bit back tears, wondering how she could best serve her people, but trust Clarke as well._

_Lexa summoned her a short while later, at peace with her decision to let Octavia live. “I do trust you, Clarke,” she affirms, avoiding eye contact with the blonde. Clarke steps towards her and tries to meet her gaze. “I know how hard that is for you.” Lexa excuses her actions, justifying them as a way to survive. “Maybe life should be about more than just surviving. Don’t we deserve better than that?” Clarke asks, looking away from Lexa. “Maybe we do,” Lexa responds. Her eyes are not locked with Clarke’s but rather, on Clarke’s lips. She brings her right hand up, brushes her thumb along Clarke’s cheek, and brings their lips together. Clarke allows her left hand to rest on Lexa’s back, reciprocating the kiss. After a few moments, Lexa attempts to deepen the kiss, but Clarke pulls away. Lexa is hurt and confused until Clarke says, “I’m sorry, I thought having feelings makes you weak?” “Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Clarke.” Lexa leans in and connects their lips again. Clarke holds nothing back until they are interrupted by “Heda, come quick!”_

Clarke is pulled back into the present as the power in the door goes out. Lexa places her hand on top of Clarke’s, as she holds the device, ready to blow the door open. But the device doesn’t work. Lexa is frustrated crying out, “What’s wrong? Why isn’t it working?” They take heavy fire as they decide what to do. Lincoln takes matters into his own hands, using a flaming arrow to take out the door. The shooting continues over the ridge and Lexa makes the decision to go take them out. Lincoln attempts to follow her, but she forces him to stay, and keep Clarke safe.

Up on the ridge, Lexa is met by Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security Detail. She holds up her left hand, stopping the warriors behind her. Emerson is smug and takes one step towards the Commander. Lexa steps forward to meet him, not noticing the knife in his right hand until it grazes her right cheek. “Apologies, Commander. Had to ensure that it was really you. Black blood, you know.” Lexa seethes with anger as she presses a hand to her wound, the other hand reaching for her sword. “You won’t be needing that, Commander,” Emerson begins. “I’ve been sent to make a deal.” Emerson knows he cannot reason with Clarke, but the Commander is a different story. The Commander will do what is best for her people.

“What deal?” Lexa growls. “All Grounder prisoners will be released in exchange for a cease fire, and the Grounders will stay off of the lands surrounding the mountain”. Heda considers, knowing that this is the right call, but Lexa has to ask. “What will happen to the Sky People?” Emerson laughs, and says “The Sky People will perish in this mountain, after we have drained them for all they are good for. I’ll see to it that the blonde bitch goes first.” Lexa’s eyes flash with anger, but Emerson does not see. Lexa gathers herself and Heda accepts the deal.

Lexa returns to the door just as it is being pulled out. Clarke yells out “Attack! Now!”, but Heda is heard yelling “Stand down!” in Trigedasleng. Clarke looks in the direction of the command and sees Lexa approaching with Emerson, blood covering her right cheek. “What is this?” she asks confused. The grounder prisoners begin exiting the mountain. Clarke, hopeful, looks back to Lexa and asks “They’re surrendering?” “Not quite,” Emerson replies. Clarke meets Emerson’s eyes, silently asking for an explanation, but he only looks back to the Commander. Clarke follows his eyes and looks for Lexa, but only finds Heda looking back at her. A million questions run through her head, but she asks only one: “What did you do?”

Lexa, void of all emotion, answers “What you would have done. Saved my people.” Clarke attempts one more question, fully realizing that Lexa is gone, having been replaced by Heda. Where are my people?” Lexa returns briefly and says “I’m sorry Clarke,” before Heda takes over and finishes, “They weren’t part of the deal.” Clarke is hurt, tears threatening to spill over.

Lincoln walks over and asks “What is this?” Clarke pushes her pain aside and says, “Your commander’s made a deal.” Lincoln asks about the prisoners from the Ark. “They’ll all be killed,” Clarke accepts. “But you don’t care about that, do you?” she challenges. “I do care, Clarke,” Heda begins, “But I made this choice with my head and not my heart. The duty to protect my people comes first,” she finishes. “Please, don’t do this,” Clarke begs. “I’m sorry, Clarke.” “Commander, not like this. Let us fight,” Lincoln interjects. “No, the deal is done,” Lexa bites back, daring him to challenge her again.

The door to Mount Weather closes and Lexa commands for the retreat to be sounded. Lincoln tries again to stay and help the Sky People, but Lexa orders for him to be taken into custody. Lincoln fights back, but is no match for the multiple grounder warriors at Lexa’s disposal. Clarke locks eyes with Lexa, silently pleading for her to reconsider, but Heda responds, “May we meet again.” Clarke slowly shakes her head, watching as Lexa turns her back and walks away. Clarke’s panic begins to take over as she realizes that she has been betrayed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter for tonight! Enjoy! Trigedasleng translations are at the end.

Clarke wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to fall apart. She had trusted her, trusted Lexa, when everyone told her not to. They had been right. Lexa would never put her people second. Clarke was naïve to think that the kiss that they shared meant anything at all. Lexa had used her. Lexa had played on her feelings and gotten close in order to exploit Bellamy’s help on the inside. She had lost very few warriors and had gotten all of her people back. Clarke had no army and at least 47 of her people, maybe more, were inside Mount Weather being held captive. She needed a plan. First things first, she needed to find Octavia. Then, they needed a way inside the mountain.

Clarke trudges through the dirt, walking quickly. She needs to find Octavia before Octavia manages to get inside without her. She comes to the opening of the mine, hesitating at first but realizing that nothing inside the mine could hurt her anymore than Lexa already had. She takes off running, stopping abruptly when she sees someone.

“Oh Octavia. You stayed.” “Screw you,” Octavia cuts her off. “Of course I stayed. I know where my loyalties lie.” “We have to get in there,” Clarke interjects, rushing past Octavia towards the door. Octavia grabs her arm as she walks by. “If that was possible do you think I’d still be out here? Why did Lexa sound the retreat?”

Clarke gathers her courage and says, “She made a deal with Mount Weather. Freed the Grounders. Now we’re on our own.” Clarke walks towards the door again, desperate to get inside. She starts banging on the door with her gun, metal clanging on metal.

“Stop.” Octavia pleads. “They’ll know we’re here.” Once she gets Clarke away from the door Octavia asks about Lincoln, knowing that he would never abandon her. “They took him.” Clarke responds, pointing her gun at the keypad next to the door. She is growing impatient and Octavia’s questions are not helping.

“What’s wrong with you?” Octavia slaps her hand on Clarke’s gun, lowering it. “I am getting through that door,” Clarke argues. “And that’s your plan?” Octavia questions. “Bellamy’s counting on you. Everyone’s always counting on you.”

“Well what do you want from me?” Clarke pleads. Clarke didn’t ask to be in this position. She didn’t want to lead her people. Clarke and Bellamy were the only ones to step up.

Octavia continues her tirade. “You trusted Lexa. You let a bomb drop on Tondc. You let all those people-“ Clarke cuts her off with “I am doing the best I can.” “Well, it’s not good enough.” Octavia says with finality.

A beep behind them draws their attention and the door bursts open. Bellamy, Monty, and Jasper walk out, along with Maya. A brief reunion occurs and then a crude plan is created. Octavia, Jasper, and Maya will go to level 5 and get more oxygen for Maya, while Clarke, Bellamy, and Monty go to retrieve Dante from medical. Clarke is not confident Dante will help them, but it’s the best chance they have.

Back in Tondc, Lexa orders her warriors to tie Lincoln to a tree. “Come find me when Indra returns,” she commands. “Sha, Heda,” they respond.

Lexa quickly ducks into her tent and silently lets the tears flow from her eyes. She knows she made the right choice, but seeing Clarke look so hurt nearly broke her resolve.

Lexa remembers the first time she met Clarke. She wanted to hate her so badly, for killing 300 of her warriors. But it seemed that Lexa was wrong to judge her so quickly, so harshly. Clarke had been with Anya in Mount Weather. Lexa did not even know her people were in the mountain. Clarke and Anya had escaped together and Clarke had brought Lexa a lock of her fallen mentor’s hair, observing a sacred Grounder tradition. Clarke also had something to offer during that meeting: a chance to turn reapers back into men.

Lexa thinks about Lincoln outside. Clarke and her mom had saved his life. He had been a reaper, ready to kill Octavia. But the Sky People had refused to give up on him, working to turn him back even when it seemed all hope was lost. A sense of desperation might also have driven that desire, seeing as Lexa was ready to kill them all when it appeared that Lincoln had died. But Clarke had come though, proving her worth. Proving that the Sky People had something to offer. Lincoln wanted to repay their loyalty. He wanted to fight to save his girlfriend and her people.

Lexa thinks about who else is in that mountain. Surely Clarke would be inside by now, desperate to save her people. Lexa thinks back to when she was desperate to save Clarke, putting the blonde before her own people. Back in Tondc, before the missile hit. Lexa knew in that moment, that she would do anything if it meant protecting Clarke. Which is why they had slipped away, leaving their people to perish. Lexa remembers the look on Clarke’s face after the missile hit. She was desperate to avenge the people at Tondc and kill all of the mountain men. Lexa couldn’t let her bear that burden alone. Clarke already had so many deaths on her hands: the warriors at the dropship, Finn, and the people of Tondc. Lexa shuddered to think about what Clarke’s mental state would look like if she had to kill all of the mountain men as well.

Lexa thinks back to their first kiss. _“Maybe life should be about more than just surviving. Don’t we deserve better than that?”_ Clarke had said. Lexa had agreed, wanting nothing more than Clarke in that moment. _She connected their lips, wanting to feel something other than obligation. Obligation to Gustus, obligation to Indra, obligation to her people. What about her obligation to herself? Lexa knew that the Commander was not to take a lover. She had learned her lesson with Costia. But Lexa found herself falling for the strong, blonde, Sky Girl, wanting to do anything to protect her, and show her how much she meant to her._

“You did a great job of that, Lexa,” she says to herself. “You left the girl you love at the mountain. Abandoned her, in favor of your people.” If only Clarke and the Sky People could be her people. Then, maybe, she wouldn’t have to choose.

Lexa hears her warriors calling for her outside, indicating that Indra had returned from the mine. Lexa wipes her face, quickly fixes her war paint, and goes out to meet Indra.

“Where is your second?” Lexa questions, wondering why Octavia is not with Indra. “She is no longer my second,” Indra snaps. “Not after she chose to stay behind when you sounded the retreat.” “Mind your tone, Indra. You had to know she would choose her brother over you.” “Yes,” Indra remarks, “Just as you chose your people over skai gada.” Lexa recoils at the use of Indra’s Trigedasleng. Clarke is so much more than just a “sky girl”. Lexa needs Clarke. Just like Clarke needed her. “This is why Heda doesn’t take a lover,” Lexa thinks. The choice between her people and her love is too hard.

Lexa glances over at Lincoln, who is trying to quietly slip his restraints, albeit unsuccessfully, as Lexa can immediately tell what he is trying to do. Lexa looks over at her warriors, who are sitting around a fire drinking, grateful the war has ended quickly and without many casualties. Lexa looks back at Lincoln, who appears to have given up on trying to escape.

“Break him ou,” she commands of Indra. “Free him?!” Indra questions incredulously. “Sha, Indra, and I will not tolerate the disrespect any longer,” Lexa fires back. “Ai laik your heda, and you will do as I say.” “Sha, Heda,” Indra says softly as she bows her head and goes to free Lincoln.

Lincoln looks up from his dejected state when Indra walks over. He saw her conversing with Heda, but they were too far away to hear. Indra says nothing as she walks behind the tree and starts cutting him loose.

“Heda?” Lincoln questions as Lexa walks over. Lexa looks over to Indra, to be sure she has her attention as well. “We are going back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sha, heda: yes, commander  
> Skai gada: sky girl  
> Break him ou: free him  
> Ai laik your heda: I am your commander


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, this work is unbeta'd. If you would like to be my beta, please send me a message on tumblr at heda-courtney. Thanks!

“Going back?” Lincoln questions at the same time as Indra explodes. “Heda, beja! Use your head. All of our people are out. We have no issue with the maun anymore.” 

Lexa snaps around and gets right in Indra’s face. “If you wish to continue to serve me, you will no longer question my decisions. Ai laik your heda.” Lexa wants to scream at Indra, but knows she must keep her voice down for her plan to work. Indra once again lowers her eyes, knowing that she must obey her heda.

“We are going back. The three of us. We will help the Sky People where necessary. I will not put our army at risk, but if we wish to have peace with the Sky People, we need to help them.”

Lincoln is up and ready to go, needing no explanation to want to save Octavia. Indra looks cautiously at him, then back at Lexa. Lexa attempts one further explanation before resolving to leave Indra behind. “You can choose to stay behind, but you will be seen as a coward, in the eyes of your Heda and of your second. You will no longer be fit to lead at Tondc.”

Indra considers briefly before agreeing to come. “We leave now,” Lexa commands.

Back at Mount Weather, Clarke, Bellamy, and Monty arrive in medical, hoping that Dante Wallace will continue to help them. Bellamy tries to be the good guy, saying that they’re looking for a way to get the Sky People out without killing everyone in the mountain. Clarke shakes her head slightly and says, “He’s not gonna help us.” Dante knew his deal with the Grounders would hold, but his people needed the bone marrow of the Sky People if they were ever to leave Mount Weather. He needs Clarke to fail, or his people will die. Clarke knows this, which is why she’s sure he won’t help them. Clarke asks Monty if he can get them into the command center. “No problem,” Monty responds.

Jasper and Maya lead Octavia up the trash shoot dumping them out on level 5. Maya catches her breath and then leaves to go find Sergeant Lee, a soldier who has been helping them. He will lead Jasper to the dorm, where he’ll kill Cage.

Indra leads the way as Lincoln brings up the rear, with Lexa safely situated in the middle. They move swiftly and silently, all three Trikru familiar with the forest. Lexa remembers the last time she was walking towards Mount Weather. It felt different this time; she felt uneasy. She glances back, finding just Lincoln and not her army. Was she feeling uneasy because she did not have the support of her army? No, she realizes. She was missing Clarke, the blonde sky girl who now held a piece of her heart. She and Clarke had walked side by side the last time she had walked towards Mount Weather. Lexa realizes what she was missing: Clarke’s strength. The new love that they shared with one another was surrounding them as strength. Lexa was missing her strength because she had abandoned her love. She had abandoned Clarke. 

Lexa nearly ran into Indra, not realizing that she had stopped. “What is the meaning of this, Indra? Have you changed your mind?” Lexa questioned. “No, Heda, we have arrived. We are about a mile outside of Mount Weather. Have you readied a plan?” A plan? No, Lexa had not readied a plan. She was too busy thinking about Clarke. 

“Yes,” she begins, needing to show strength and convince Indra and Lincoln that she is not making rash decisions. “The deal I made was for the Grounders to stay off of the lands surrounding the mountain. We will be using the tunnels to get inside the mountain. Indra, you will continue to lead the way. We will pick a different tunnel this time, and slip in unnoticed.”

“What will we do once inside?” Indra asks. Lincoln knows the answer to this one. “Find Clarke, Octavia, and Bellamy.”

“Sha,” Lexa responds.

Indra leads her younger companions about 250 feet to the east. She stops as she approaches a small trapdoor, barely noticeable under the brush on the forest floor. “There’s something you should know about these tunnels,” Indra begins. “Legend has it that these tunnels were created many years ago, prior to the nuclear war that destroyed our planet. These tunnels were built to withstand nuclear war, but they have degraded as time has passed. There is little light, creating poor visibility. We will have to stay close together.”

Lexa interrupts. “Why is this important now?”

Indra continues. “I hadn’t gotten to the most important part. Rumor has it that many of these tunnels lead to Azgeda territory. Apparently, the former president of Mount Weather, before the war, enjoyed traveling to that area. He had the tunnels created as a way to get there and back quickly, and undetected. Azgeda still controls those tunnels.”

Azgeda is not part of Lexa’s Coalition. They have been at war for many years with many of the other clans. Their leader, Queen Nia, does not respect Lexa’s authority as the commander.

“Heda, we are able to use the tunnels to avoid breaking the deal with Mount Weather, but Azgeda actively patrols them. We discovered this fact as we began scouting the tunnels for entrance into Mount Weather many weeks ago. Some of our own were slaughtered by Azgeda warriors, under command of Queen Nia.”

“Why was I not informed of this?”

“We only lost a few warriors before we began to differentiate which tunnels were Azgeda, and which were not. When the people of Mount Weather ventured outside their walls after the nuclear war, they explored the tunnels first. The first few explorers found Azgeda tunnels and were quickly slaughtered, leaving blood red handprints on the walls. We believe these handprints helped Azgeda develop the symbol that we know today. Similarly, tunnels that lead to Tondc bear the Trikru symbol. These symbols were also made by explorers from Mount Weather. However, these symbols are made with yellow paint, not blood. We do not know what our symbol means, but Trikru has long avoided these tunnels since early Trikru warriors who were sent in never returned.”

“Anya,” Lexa murmurs.

“Heda?” questions Lincoln, probing her to continue.

“Before I was commander, when I was Anya’s second, she told me that the tunnels around Tondc were to be avoided at all costs. She had known warriors who had travelled into the tunnels. Her grandfather was one of the first to go missing. Several warriors were sent in after him, but none returned. It is clear to me now, even more than before, that Clarke was telling the truth about our people. Our people have been supplying blood to the mountain for much longer than we could have imagined. Our clans have been so busy fighting each other for land, that we have missed the greatest enemy of all. It is only thanks to the Sky People, and Clarke, that we have uncovered their treachery. We WILL help Clarke and the Sky People defeat the Mountain Men.”

Lincoln opens the trapdoor and begins climbing down the steps. Just before his head disappears he says, “I’ll check for the symbol. If I don’t come back up, leave me, and find a new tunnel.” He ducks into the tunnel before Lexa or Indra can object.

They stand with bated breath, waiting for him to return. “It’s taking too long,” Indra remarks. “It takes as long as it takes,” Lexa replies, the irony of her words not lost. Before she can dwell on them, Lincoln reappears. “All clear, Heda.”

“Let’s go,” Lexa commands.

Heda, beja: commander, please  
Maun: mountain  
Ai laik your heda: I am your commander  
Trikru: Tree people  
Sha: yes  
Azgeda: ice nation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! I hope you enjoy! Come chat with me on tumblr at heda-courtney.
> 
> Clarke and Lexa will reunite in chapter 4.


	4. Chapter 4

Clarke, Bellamy, Monty, and Dante walk quickly to the command center. They are unopposed, as all of the soldiers are on level 5. Monty starts to dismantle the keypad.

Dante believes that he cannot be free after what he has done. “Deliverance comes at a cost. I will never be free because of the actions I took to ensure freedom for my people.”

“You were free,” Clarke states. “You were free to continue living here, with everything you needed. But you got greedy. You wanted to live on the ground. You wanted to live outside.”

“You did as well, Clarke. Why else would your people have sent you the surface?”

“The Ark was no longer survivable. And it was not my decision to come to the ground. The 100 were sent against our wills. We didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, Clarke. I made my choice, and I bear it so they don’t have to.”

Bellamy deduces that Dante was the one to come up with the idea to make a deal with the Grounders. Dante nods. Clarke glares at Dante, now knowing that he is the one who gave Lexa a reason to betray her. She will not let this stand.

Monty breaks through the silence. “We’re in.”

Once she knew the tunnel was safe, Lexa forged ahead, knowing that time would be of the essence. She needed to get to Clarke before Clarke did something that she would not be able to recover from.

She is running by the time she reaches the end of the tunnel, coming face to face with a steel door. She pulls on it, but it doesn’t budge. “What now?” she exclaims exasperated.

“Over here,” Lincoln calls. He has found a trash shoot a little ways away. “It’s a steep climb, but it’s manageable.”

Lexa strides ahead, but Indra cuts her off. “Allow me, Heda.”

Back in the command center, Dante has refused to stop the drilling. Clarke gets Emerson on the radio, and then Cage. She lets President Wallace know that if he doesn’t let her people go, she’ll kill his father. Cage questions her, thinking that Dante is still safe in medical. “Stay the course, Cage,” he hears crackle over the radio. His eyes go wide; Clarke does have his father.

Cage questions her resolve, thinking that she won’t do it. But Cage doesn’t know Clarke very well, not nearly as well as Bellamy and Dante know her. Clarke takes up a position of authority with Cage.

“This ends now. Release my people.”

“I can’t do that,” comes the response.

“It would mean the end of our people, Clarke,” Dante reasons.

Clarke ponders for a moment, then whips around and trains the gun on Dante. Bellamy jumps back and tries to reason with her. But her mind has been made up. She needs Cage to believe her.

Clarke appeals to Cage one last time, hoping he’ll agree to end this. Cage falters briefly before saying, “Dad, I’ll take care of our people.”

Dante’s eyes go wide and he realizes his time is up. He makes a last ditch appeal to Clarke, but her choice has been made. She pulls the trigger, shooting Dante in the chest.

Clarke has tears in her eyes and she watches Dante struggle for his last breaths. She didn’t want this. She gets back on the radio with Cage. “Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free. If you don’t let them go, I will irradiate level five.”

Cage is furious. He tells Emerson to go the command center and kill them all. Then he makes his way towards the dorm, hoping to make Clarke suffer the way the he has suffered.

Clarke realizes that Emerson is coming for them and has Monty deactivate his keycard. She watches as Cage leaves the mess hall, walking towards the dorm.

“Monty, can you do it? Can you irradiate the level?” Clarke questions.

“I can do it.”

“Wait a second, Clarke. We need to think about this. There are kids in there.” Bellamy argues.

“I know.”

“And people who helped us.”

“Well, then, please, give me a better idea.”

Bellamy turns back to the monitor and they see Cage ordering Abby onto the table.

“What have I done?” Clarke’s voice breaks, watching her Mom be put on the table. She sees Cage, looking right into the camera.

Bellamy tries again to appeal to Clarke. “Clarke, if we do this, there is no going back.”

“Figure it out,” she commands Monty.

Octavia and Jasper remain outside the trash shoot, waiting for Maya to return with Sergeant Lee. Jasper is pacing, worrying about why it is taking so long. Octavia sits quietly but comments, “Jasper, a warrior doesn’t worry about what he can’t control.”

Maya then rushes in with Lee, who points his gun at Octavia, wary of her appearance. After the confusion is cleared up, Jasper offloads his gun and accepts a knife and a lesson in close range killing from Octavia. Lee handcuffs Jasper then walks away, giving Jasper and Maya time to say goodbye. Jasper then joins Lee as his prisoner and they head for the dorm.

Octavia and Maya converse softly before they are interrupted by two teenagers, who alert the guards to their presence. Octavia hurls her sword, burying it in the chest of one guard. She slides, using her feet to take out the other. She reclaims her sword, and slices his throat.

The Trikru warriors climb quickly, and the shoot dumps them into a hallway. Before they can get their bearings, they hear voices coming from down the hall. Lexa draws her swords and takes a readying stance. Lincoln and Indra stand in front of their Heda, weapons drawn as well.

Lincoln lowers his weapon as he sees who is rounding the corner: Octavia. Her sword is dripping with blood, evidence of her most recent kills.

“Lincoln?” Octavia questions before breaking into a smile and throwing her arms around his neck. “I thought you left.” Octavia spits her words in Indra’s direction.

“Heda had a change of heart.”

“It was not my heart that needing changing,” Lexa thinks. “It was my head.”

“Thank you,” Octavia mouths towards Lexa, who nods slightly, then says, “We need to find Clarke.”

Maya speaks up. “They’ve got to be at the command center by now. Clarke will want eyes on everything and Monty should have been able to crack the keypad and get them in. I can take you there.”

They make a plan for Lexa and Maya to go to the command center, while Octavia, Lincoln, and Indra will head for the dorm to take out Cage.

As Lexa and Maya approach the command center they see Emerson trying to blow the door, which confirms their suspicion that Clarke is inside. Lexa grips her dagger, ready to bury it in Emerson’s brain, when he turns suddenly, alerted to their presence. Lexa sees the glint of metal in his hand and dodges the bullet, but just barely. Her sudden change in direction causes the dagger to miss, landing in Emerson’s arm. He stifles his cry, but is clearly hurt, not used to constant warfare like the Grounders. Lexa draws her sword and hurries to finish the job, but he disappears down the hallway. Maya takes off towards the dorm, desperate to find Jasper. Lexa sheaths her sword, and takes a deep breath. Then she bangs on the door to the command center.

Octavia leads Lincoln and Indra, trying her best to follow Maya’s instructions on how to get to the dorm. They end up in the mess hall, surrounded by people laughing, eating, and drinking, unaware of what is going on around them. They are quickly closed in on by 5 guards with guns. Octavia glances at Lincoln before deciding to surrender. She knows that the three of them can take the 5 guards, but there are too many innocent people around. She lays down her weapon, and Lincoln and Indra do the same.

Monty continues furiously typing away in the command center, working on irradiating level 5. Clarke glances at the monitors and sees movement on one of the smaller screens. She tries to focus, but she is distracted by the larger monitor. Octavia, Lincoln, and Indra in the mess hall. They’re surrounded by guards and laying down their weapons. But what are they doing here?

“Lexa?” Clarke questions quietly, for the first time believing what she saw on the smaller monitor. Her question is answered by multiple bangs on the command center door.

“Clarke?” Lexa calls. “It’s me.”

Bellamy strides over to open the door and Lexa steps inside.

“Lexa,” Clarke lets out the breath she had been holding.

Lexa walks over and embraces Clarke in a quick hug. She wants to hold on and never let go, but there are more pressing issues. Lexa can now see that Indra, Lincoln, and Octavia are surrounded by Mount Weather guards.

Clarke removes herself from Lexa’s embrace, still not sure she can trust her. She’s unsure if Lexa or Heda has come. “Why are you stopping?” she asks Monty.

“Because I did it. All we have to do is pull this.” He points towards the lever. “Hatches and vents will open and the scrubbers reverse pulling in outside air.”

Clarke looks back to the monitor. Monty confirms her suspicion. “Clarke, we’re out of time.” Clarke sees Octavia, Lincoln, and Indra being forced to the ground.

Clarke places her hand on the lever. With tears in her eyes she says, “I have to save them. I will bear it, so they don’t have to.”

Lexa steps to join her, and places her hand on top of Clarke’s. She looks into her eyes and says, “We will bear it, so they don’t have to.”

Clarke nods slightly, then looks back at the lever, seeing Lexa’s calloused and scarred hand covering her own.

Together, they pull the lever, irradiating level 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! I'm having so much fun with this story. Let me know what you guys think!


	5. Chapter 5

In the mess hall, Octavia, Lincoln, and Indra stand up slowly. The guards have dropped their weapons and everyone is breaking out in blisters. “It’s the radiation,” Octavia whispers, filling Lincoln and Indra in on what is happening. Octavia knew that the radiation would kill them, but she didn’t expect it to be such a slow and painful death.

Jasper had been about to confront Cage in the dorm when the alarm went off, letting him know that Clarke had irradiated level 5. He watches the guards fall to the ground, affected by the radiation from outside. He knew Maya wouldn’t have long and he races to find her. He rounds the corner outside the dorm and he sees her. Despite the burns quickly covering her body, she is still trying to make her way to him. She collapses into his arms and he holds her as she dies. He sobs, not willing himself to believe that she is gone. After smoothing her hair, he brushes his hand over her eyelids, and lays her down to rest, saying goodbye with a quick kiss on her forehead.

Octavia leads Lincoln and Indra to the dorm where Kane directed her to get the keys from the guard. She frees him first and then continues freeing other members of the 100.

Lincoln and Indra see movement to the side. Cage. Lincoln remembers him; he’s the one who turned him into a reaper. He’s trying to escape out the back, the radiation not affecting him since he had the marrow treatment. They track him down quickly and Lincoln delivers the fatal blow, lopping his head off in one fell swoop. “For the reapers,” he exclaims. He picks up Cage’s head by the hair, wanting to bring it to his Heda. 

After he was free, Marcus ran to the table and worked to free Abby. Her mind was focused on one thing: Clarke.

Clarke, Lexa, Bellamy, and Monty survey the mess hall on the way to the dorm. Clarke looks on at all the innocent people she had killed. They had been sitting down to dinner, unaware that their lives were about to be tragically ended. Clarke looks around and sees glimpses of their lives in the Mountain. A soccer ball, two friends sharing a piece of cake, a mother sitting with her young son. The alarm blares off in the distance, but it is movement next to her that suddenly brings Clarke back to the present. Lexa slips her hand into Clarke’s and gives it a quick squeeze, letting her know that she is not alone. Clarke pulls her hand away, needing to talk with Lexa before letting her off the hook. Lexa’s mossy eyes flash with hurt, and she takes a step away from Clarke. The new dynamic between the two leaders is not missed by Bellamy.

The group make their way to the dorm, where Clarke rushes into her mother’s arms. Abby, seeming to have forgotten her anger over Tondc, reciprocates the hug, sobbing into her daughter’s shoulder. Abby pulls away and looks at Clarke, knowing she had to make an impossible choice. 

“I tried,” Clarke begins. “I tried to be the good guy.”

“Maybe there are no good guys,” Abby says before wrapping Clarke into another hug.

Lexa stands off to the side, not wanting to interrupt the mother daughter moment. She thinks briefly of her own mother, a woman she barely remembers. She was taken from her Trikru village at age 6, after a scuffle involving an older boy resulted in a scraped knee. Her mother had been nearby when she heard Lexa crying. She ran over, the older boy staring down at Lexa with his mouth hanging open. The woman looked down at her daughter and saw what she feared the most: black blood. She told the boy to run along and keep his mouth shut, but the Flamekeeper scouts had arrived the very next day to take Lexa to the capital. Lexa had not seen her mother since that day; she wasn’t even sure if she was alive. Lexa had not had time to think about her life before Polis. Training for the Conclave was all she could remember from her childhood. Lexa is snapped out of her memory when Lincoln and Indra approach. Lincoln holds up a head, separated from its body. Lexa does not know who it is; the head means nothing to her. Lexa shakes her head noncommittally and nods toward Clarke. “Give it to her.”

Clarke looks up from her mother’s hug to see Lincoln and Indra approaching. Lincoln holds up Cage’s head for her approval. She nods, and whispers “thank you”. Her thank you holds multiple meanings. Thank you for wanting to stay, thank you for coming back, and thank you for ending Cage’s life. Once her people were safe, Clarke wasn’t sure if she would be able to allow Cage to live. Killing him would accomplish nothing, but he certainly didn’t deserve to live. Clarke is grateful that she did not have to make that choice. She is grateful for Lincoln. He might be a Grounder, but he has been their biggest ally since they landed on the ground.

Lexa walks over slowly and dismisses Lincoln and Indra. “Can we talk?” she asks Clarke.

“Ok. Just not here.”

Clarke leaves the dorm and Lexa follows her to a small alcove. Lexa notices Indra lurking nearby, but dismisses her again with a wave of her left hand. Clarke stops suddenly and whips around, facing Lexa. Except it’s no longer Lexa. Her eyes are blank and void of emotion. Lexa is protecting herself from Clarke’s earlier actions in the mess hall. Clarke pulled away from Lexa, so Lexa was hiding. This is Heda.

“Commander,” Clarke spits, challenging her with a similar stare.

Lexa softens, realizing her mistake. “Clarke, it’s me. It’s Lexa.”

Clarke doesn’t back down. “I want to talk to Heda.”

“Very well.” Lexa assumes her Heda stance, feet apart and hands clasped behind her back. She holds her head high, looking right into Clarke’s blue orbs. “What can I do for you, Clarke of the Sky People?”

Clarke closes the short distance between them quickly, taking Lexa by surprise. Clarke walks her backwards until Lexa’s back is against the wall on the opposite side of the alcove. Clarke gets right in her face, her blue eyes full of anger, connecting with Lexa’s green eyes, still void of emotion. Lexa knows that Clarke needs this, but she doesn’t want to bait her in any way.

“I trusted you!” Clarke explodes. “I killed Finn so that we could be allies. So that we could defeat Mount Weather together. You abandoned us. You abandoned me. And you had no right to come back. We did this without your help. WE defeated Mount Weather. MY people. Not YOU. All you did was force my hand when I saw Octavia, Lincoln, and Indra surrounded in the mess hall. If you hadn’t come back, they wouldn’t have been there!”

“You blame me,” Lexa realizes. “You blame me for leaving, that I understand. But you also blame me for coming back? You think my coming back forced you to pull that lever?”

“I saw you, with Emerson. It was on a small monitor, so no one else saw. I saw you approach him. I saw you pull out your dagger. Then I saw the gun.” Clarke draws in a quick breath, the memory clearly affecting her. “I saw him shoot you.” Her eyes dart downwards and her fingers brush over Lexa’s left arm, where her coat had been ripped by the bullet. “I had to kill them, all of them, to keep you safe.”

Lexa locks eyes with Clarke, and sees that the fire is gone, replaced by fear. Clarke was fearful for Lexa’s life? Clarke should hate her, should want her dead. But instead, Clarke is scared for Lexa. Clarke is scared to lose Lexa.

“Clarke, I’m here. I’m right here. I’m okay.” 

“But I’m not Lexa! I’m not okay!” Clarke exclaims. “I didn’t know what to feel when you left. When you abandoned us. I was mad, I was hurt, I was devastated. You made me feel something that I’ve never felt with anyone else. You made me feel safe. And then you left.” Clarke drops off for a moment before continuing. “I wanted to forget you. It was easy to be mad at you and focus on the task at hand. But you came back. I want to hate you, but I can’t. I care about you. And I know you care about me too, or you wouldn’t have come back.”

“Sha,” Lexa begins. “I do care about you, Clarke.” 

Knowing that words will never be enough, she wraps her arms around Clarke and pulls her into a hug. Clarke embraces her back, but only for a moment. Then, she pulls away. She can’t do this. Not yet. She still doesn’t trust Lexa.

Clarke starts running. She sprints through the hallways of Mount Weather and doesn’t stop until she’s outside. She falls to the ground, sobbing. Lexa catches up and wraps her in another hug, trying to hold her tight and keep her safe. Clarke thrashes, not wanting to be held. She stands up and faces Lexa, who stands as well. 

“I killed all of those people Lexa!” Clarke’s actions have finally caught up to her.

“No, Clarke. We killed all of those people.”

“Death doesn’t affect you the way it does me. You were trained to kill from a young age. I just started killing a few weeks ago. I’m not prepared for this!”

Clarke doesn’t give Lexa time to respond. She turns and starts to run again. Lexa is about to follow when Clarke suddenly disappears.

“Clarke!” she shouts, running over to the spot where Clarke disappeared. She sees another trapdoor, and knows that Clarke has fallen into a tunnel. She calls back to Lincoln and Indra, who saw the whole thing from a distance. 

“Come nau, hurry!” After she’s sure they’ll be able to find her, Lexa drops through the trapdoor, knowing that too much time has passed and Clarke could be in danger. She lands roughly on the dirt floor, not able to judge the distance in the darkness. She finds a torch nearby and scans the tunnel. It is too dark to see much, so she calls out: “CLARKE!” Her voice echoes in the tunnel, but she gets no response. She takes the torch and shines the light on the wall of the tunnel and her stomach drops. All along the wall she sees blood red handprints.

Azgeda.

Sha: yes  
Nau: now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard chapter to write. I hope I did it justice. Comments are appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

After fleeing from the Commander outside the command center, Emerson rushes to medical, hoping to find something to bandage his arm. It hurts, but he’ll survive. Luckily, medical is empty. Everyone is still on level 5. Emerson finds some alcohol and splashes it onto his right arm, cleaning the wound. He then wraps some gauze around it, ripping it off with his teeth. He tucks the extra into his pocket. As he finishes, he hears the alarm sound. 

“Damn it,” he says aloud. “She did it. She irradiated level 5”. 

He needs to get out of there. If anyone finds him, they’ll kill him. Emerson gathers a few medical supplies and rushes to the nearest exit, knowing a few tunnels are nearby. He’s hoping to take the yellow tunnel, the tunnel with the toxic waste symbol. That symbol was marked to signal radiation, meaning that there was radiation at the other end of it, in the forest. Mount Weather tried to avoid these tunnels unless they had suits, and even then, they had to deal with the Outsiders at the other end of the tunnel. With his new radiation immunity, he hoped he could sneak past the Outsiders and find somewhere safe in the woods to lie low.

He approaches the yellow tunnel and sees that the door is slightly bowed. Not a good sign. He tries to pry the door open, but it’s stuck. He looks around for something to wedge in, but cannot find anything of use. He walks down a small hallway and pulls open another door. This is a red tunnel. He knows he should avoid the red tunnels, but he doesn’t have much choice at this point. Plus, he remembers that some of the tunnels have offshoots. Not all of them lead to the ice savages. 

He quickly gathers some crude supplies at the entrance to the tunnel. A gun, and a backpack containing a tent, some rope, a couple packets of freeze dried food, and a few bottles of water. He also tosses the extra gauze into the backpack. He grabs a knife and sticks it into his back pocket. He wishes there was a flashlight, but he can do without. Every so often, torches line the wall of the tunnel, giving some light.

He starts running through the tunnel when he hears shouting up above. He realizes that he must be away from the mountain by now, because the voices above him are not echoing like they would inside the walls of Mount Weather.

“I’m not prepared for this!” he hears. Then he hears footsteps. The footsteps travel right over him, and then someone falls into his tunnel!

Emerson watches as they struggle to get up, eyes not yet adjusting to the darkness of the tunnel. He would know that blonde hair anywhere. Clarke Griffin has just fallen into his lap.

He pulls out his knife and quickly pulls her to her feet, pressing the knife into her throat. She starts to scream, but Emerson shushes her and puts more pressure on the knife, letting a few drops of blood trickle onto his hand. He pulls her quickly, until they are running. He needs to get her away from the trapdoor.

Sure enough, a few moments later, someone else drops in the tunnel. Emerson cannot tell who it is, but they call out “Clarke!”. Emerson shoves his hand against Clarke’s mouth, hard, making it impossible for her to respond. She struggles against him, but he cannot allow her to make a sound.

After a few moments, the figure climbs up the stairs and back through the trap door. Emerson forces Clarke to run again, putting them a few hundred feet from the trapdoor. Then he grabs Clarke by the hair and shoves her to the ground.

“You bitch,” he spits. “You killed everyone.”

“Not everyone,” she responds. “Just your people. But they deserved it.”

Clarke tries to stand up, but Emerson puts his boot on her chest, pushing down with enough forc= to make it hard for Clarke to breathe. 

“You deserve to die in this tunnel. I should leave you here, where no one will find you.”

“Then do it,” Clarke responds with the last breath she has.

Emerson wants to kill her, but he knows she could be useful as a bargaining chip, especially if he runs into Outsiders.

“You’ll live. For now.”

Lexa climbs back through the trapdoor and falls in a heap on the grass. As much as she wanted to go after Clarke, she knows that as Commander, she could not leave her people to fend for themselves while she goes on a solo rescue mission. She would have to wait for backup. 

“Damn it,” she curses. She was again forced to abandon Clarke in favor of her own people. This was becoming a pattern that Lexa was not okay with. 

Indra and Lincoln come to her aid, checking her for injuries.

“I’m fine,” she snaps. “Clarke is gone. Someone took her. There’s no way she could have traveled far enough away to not hear me call her name. Someone was keeping her quiet.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Someone not affected by the radiation.”

“Bellamy might know,” Lincoln offers. “We can ask him.”

Lexa rushes back inside, desperate to find Bellamy and get some more information about Clarke. He’s still in the dorm, helping to remove handcuffs. 

“Bellamy,” Lexa calls out breathless.

“Commander?”

“Clarke’s gone. Someone took her. Who else had the marrow treatment?”

Bellamy’s eyes flash with anger when he hears that Clarke is gone. Then, they furrow, thinking hard.

“It had to be Emerson. Last I saw, he was trying to break into the command center. But he gave up, right before you came in.” Bellamy concludes, looking at Lexa suspiciously. 

“He fled when I threw a dagger into his arm. I was aiming for his head, but missed slightly, due to the bullet flying at me.” She looks down and fingers her jacket, the same way that Clarke had, just moments ago. 

“Where would he go? Where would he take her?” Bellamy asks.

Lexa glances down briefly before looking back at Bellamy. “I don’t know. She landed in an Azgeda tunnel, but the offshoots go everywhere. He would have no knowledge of any of this, being from the Mountain.”

“Azgeda?” Bellamy questions.

“Ice Nation. The only clan not in my Coalition. Their Queen, Nia, is a ruthless leader. She kills anyone and everyone who gets in her way.”

“What will she do to Clarke?”

Lexa gasps, suddenly realizing. Emerson knows. Emerson knows that Lexa cares for Clarke. He was there when Lexa abandoned her. He saw how devastated Clarke was. He also saw Lexa come back for Clarke. If Emerson delivers Clarke to Nia, he will expose their relationship. Lexa cannot let that happen. Lexa cannot allow Clarke to suffer the same fate as Costia.

“We have to find her. NOW.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment and let me know what you guys think will happen next!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Kat for helping me with this chapter!

Lexa is scared. She won’t show it, but she is scared. Lexa had told Clarke about Nia’s brutality when she shared Costia with her. Lexa had loved once before and it had cost her. An innocent girl had lost her life because Lexa had dared to love her. And here she was again, repeating the same pattern. Clarke would suffer unimaginable torture if Nia found out what she meant to Lexa. Lexa did not know what to do and that was what scared her. She was usually so in control, always knowing what to do and how to do it. She attributed most of that to the Flame, the spirits of past Commanders helping her make decisions. But they could not help her with this. Past Commanders never took lovers, and this was the reason. Lexa had long hoped for peace, so that her people might know a life without killing. Her Coalition was working towards that, but Lexa still did not have full support from her ambassadors. She doubted if she ever would, with Nia in power in Azgeda.

The ride to Camp Jaha is not a long one, but Lexa feels every step her horse takes. Time seems to crawl, as Clarke moves further away from her. Lexa was grateful that Indra had stepped up and made the decision to return to Camp Jaha with the Sky People. Lexa knew her people were safe in Tondc and Polis, for now. Tondc would need rebuilding, but that could wait. Right now, Lexa needed to think of a way to save Clarke without losing the support of her people.

Emerson had tied some rope around Clarke’s wrists and is pulling her quickly through the tunnel. The rope is slowly rubbing her skin raw, but Clarke is too tired to care. They had been moving quickly through the tunnel for a few hours now. With Clarke’s last sleep more than 24 hours ago, she is becoming weak very quickly. Clarke is exhausted physically, but emotionally as well. The lives she stole from the Mountain are echoing in her consciousness, amplified by the presence of the last Mountain Man.

“Hurry up,” Emerson growls at her.

“I can’t, please, can we rest awhile?” 

Emerson considers this. It has been some time since he slept. His arm was starting to ache from his stab wound. Now would be as good a time as any to take a break.

“Ok,” he relents. 

He takes her rope and fastens it to a torch nearby. The slack allows her to sit, but not lie down. Clarke slumps against the wall, sliding into a sitting position. She is grateful to be off her feet.

Emerson sits down as well and starts slowly removing the gauze from his arm. When he reaches the cut, he sees green pus festering along the edges.

“That looks bad,” Clarke comments. “I can clean it, if you’d like.”

“Why would you help me?” Emerson questions.

“These tunnels are not safe. If we meet unfriendly Grounders or Reapers, I’d appreciate your help in fighting them. You can’t fight with a bum arm.”

Emerson thinks about it and then agrees. It’s not like she can try anything while she’s tied up to the torch.

Clarke cracks open a water bottle and splashes some water on her hands. She then starts picking away at the infected skin with her nails. 

“I have a knife,” Emerson offers. “Would that help?”

Clarke nods, and Emerson produces the knife from his back pocket and hands it to her. Clarke gently drags the knife across the cut, pulling the infected skin away. When she’s happy with how it looks, she glances around for something to wrap around it, not wanting to use the same dirty gauze. Emerson notices her looking around and pulls the gauze out of his pocket, handing it to her.

“Thank you,” she says, wrapping it tightly around his arm. She hands the knife back to him and he tucks it into his back pocket. Clarke cleans her hands with some water, wiping the excess away on her pants. “Let’s get some rest.”

Emerson nods and lies down a few feet from her, careful to maintain physical contact with her at all times. He can’t risk losing her.

Clarke closes her eyes, remembering the last time she saw, or rather heard Lexa. Lexa’s panicked cry had filled the tunnel, but Clarke was unable to do anything. Clarke chastised herself for being in this position in the first place. “If I hadn’t run from her, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Clarke thinks. Clarke’s mind is quick to play Devil’s Advocate and says, “If Lexa hadn’t left you, you wouldn’t have wanted to run from her.” Clarke’s anger towards Lexa is starting to simmer. She’s not ready to trust her yet, but she understands why she made the choice she did. Before drifting off to sleep, Clarke quickly thinks of a plan to escape Emerson. She knows he has a gun, and now she knows that he has a knife too. Clarke gets halfway through her plan, before she succumbs to sleep.

After resting for a few hours, Emerson wakes up to movement nearby. It’s Clarke. He can see that she is still asleep, but her expression is pained, as if someone is hurting her. “Please, don’t do this. Lexa, please!” she cries out. Emerson watches as a tear slips down her cheek, and realizes that she is having a nightmare. She is reliving the abandonment outside Mount Weather. He was there. He watched as the Commander made the deal and abandoned the Sky People. He remembered thinking that Clarke was not angry, but hurt. 

“This is good,” he thinks. This is something he can use. 

Clarke wakes suddenly. She looks around confused, then remembers where she is. She feels the wetness on her cheeks and quickly wipes her face. 

“Good. You’re up. It’s time to get moving.”

Emerson removes Clarke’s rope from the torch. He wraps it around his wrist and starts walking, roughly pulling Clarke along. Clarke struggles to stay on her feet, tripping over rocks as Emerson occasionally jerks on the rope. They walk in silence for almost an hour before they hear something up ahead. 

“Untie me,” Clarke hisses. 

“You know I can’t do that, Clarke.” Emerson removes the gun from his backpack, trying to train his eyes on the movement in front of them.

Clarke shifts her weight as Emerson messes with the gun. She tries to get behind him as much as she can, without him realizing. The last thing she wants is for him to use her as a human shield. She’s standing to his right, slightly behind him, when six warriors come into view up ahead. Emerson quickly unloads all of his bullets, attacking first. Three bullets find a target, one hitting a large warrior in the chest. The location of the bullet means he will die quickly. The other warriors continue approaching, two with minor gunshot wounds to their legs. He runs out after 6 shots, starting to panic when he realizes that there aren’t anymore bullets. He fumbles, trying to get his knife out of his pocket. As the warriors get closer, Clarke can start to make out their faces. She does not recognize their white face paint. Lexa’s warriors have never donned that color. Before she can take in anymore of their garb, two arrows are released. One hits Clarke in the right thigh; the other finds its way into Emerson’s left shoulder. His knife falls to the ground.

The Azgeda warriors approach quickly, neutralizing Emerson’s threat, by quickly pocketing his knife. A young warrior approaches Clarke, a girl not much older than she is. She had released one of the arrows. She spins Clarke around and hastily removes the rope, clamping chains on her wrists instead. She says nothing, so Clarke prompts her.

“Who are you?” Clarke asks, silently praying that she speaks English.

The reply is quick, and short. “Echo kom Azgeda.” That is the last thing Clarke wanted to hear. She remembered Lexa’s story about Costia, and her time spent with the Ice Queen.

Clarke glances over at Emerson, who is struggling against another warrior, one that is easily twice his size. The warrior has Emerson pinned on his back, holding him down with a knee on his chest. The warrior produces a knife and is about to make quick work of Emerson when Emerson shouts. “Wait! I have useful information for you regarding the Commander.”

“You have information about Leksa?” Echo questions. “We care nothing about Leksa. We are only loyal to Queen Nia.”

“Great,” Emerson begins. “But this one”, he pauses and nods towards Clarke, “This one cares for the Commander. And I bet the Commander would do anything to get her back.”


	8. Chapter 8

Clarke is dragged behind the warrior named Echo for what seems like 2 days. In reality, it had only been a few hours, but to Clarke it seemed like an eternity. She was growing weaker with each step, the pain in her thigh unbearable. She had broken off the end of the arrow, but was too scared to push it through, fearful she would bleed out. Currently, the presence of the arrow was the only thing stopping the bleeding. 

Emerson’s arrow remained intact, him having no knowledge of the Grounder weapons, had opted to leave his alone. He had become worse as well, much quicker than Clarke. She could see that his arm was starting to change color. The veins leading away from the arrow were dark, almost black. Clarke was sure that his arrow had been poisoned, and the poison was quickly spreading through his body. Clarke didn’t care. She wanted him to die before they reached their destination. She could not have him telling “Queen Nia” about her relationship with Lexa. She only hoped the walk would last a little longer.

Lexa was tired of waiting. It had been 2 days since Clarke had disappeared. Lincoln and Indra would not allow her to go into the tunnels, rightfully so, and they were unwilling to go in alone. She had traveled back to Camp Jaha with Lincoln, Indra, and Octavia. The Grounders had not been allowed inside, but Octavia had set them up outside the fence. Indra and Lincoln had quickly constructed a crude camp. Lexa tried to help, but they would not allow her, instructing her to lie down and rest. Lincoln, especially, could see the affect that Clarke’s absence was having on his Heda.

Lexa lays down in a mossy area and rests her head on her pack. She closes her eyes and exhales loudly. The danger that Clarke was in was starting to weigh heavy on her mind. She was frustrated and angry that Clarke had been taken and she could do nothing about it. 

Lexa falls asleep, but it is not a restful sleep. Almost immediately, she is dreaming, dreaming of Clarke. Clarke is standing opposite from Lexa in a large grassy field, about 200 yards apart. There are blue wildflowers everywhere and the sun is shining. Lexa is just Lexa, the power and responsibility of Heda left behind. Clarke looks beautiful, her long golden hair flowing slightly in the breeze. Lexa starts walking towards Clarke, but the more steps she takes, the farther away Clarke gets. Lexa starts running, hoping to catch up to her, but Clarke vanishes completely. Lexa blinks and looks around and suddenly she is in Azgeda territory. She is on the outside of town. She can’t see Clarke, but she can hear her. She can hear her screaming. Lexa runs towards her voice. She is almost there when the sound stops, and Lexa’s heart drops. As she breaches the arena in the center of Azgeda, she sees Clarke, piled in a heap, red blood pooling around her. “NO!” Lexa shouts. She runs toward her, but never reaches her, instead waking up after being shaken awake by Lincoln.

“Clarke!” Lexa shouts, still shaken up.

“It’s ok. It’s ok, Lexa,” Lincoln consoles.

“What am I going to do?” Lexa wonders aloud, but not expecting an answer from Lincoln.

He provides one anyway. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

Lincoln was right. She did always figure it out. Or at least, Heda always figured it out. Lexa didn’t know what to do. Heda was supposed to put her people’s needs above what Lexa wanted. The Flame demanded that she not lose focus and have complete control over her actions and emotions. Lexa’s needs could not outweigh Heda’s needs or the needs of Heda’s people. Lexa’s people. However, if Lexa’s needs could align with Heda’s needs, or rather, if Heda’s needs could align with Lexa’s, then Lexa could finally care for Clarke the way she deserved. Lexa and Heda could take care of her.

The only way to do that was for Clarke and her people to become Lexa’s people. Lexa had decided that the Sky People would join her Coalition. They would become the Thirteenth Clan. Technically, they would be Twelfth Clan, seeing as Azgeda had not officially joined the Coalition yet. However, Lexa knew it would not go over well if the Sky People joined the Coalition before Azgeda. They would be considered the Thirteenth Clan, even if they joined before Azgeda. 

As the Thirteenth Clan, Heda would be able to protect them under the Coalition and Lexa would be able to protect Clarke. The Sky People had proven their worth, offering to change reapers back into men. They had defeated the Mountain Men. They could now be a valuable asset to the Coalition. Now, Lexa just needed to convince them to join her Coalition. She didn’t think they would need much convincing.

Lexa meets with Abby, Kane, and Bellamy the next day. She had wanted to meet with them sooner, but Abby was still recovering from her experience at the Mountain. Lexa knew it would be best to wait for Abby, as she would also want what was best for Clarke. 

Octavia comes for her at dawn. Lexa was ready, having not slept at all; she spent all night rehearsing what she would say to the Sky People’s leaders. She was used to working with Clarke, not Kane, and especially not Abby. Octavia leads her through the woods for about a half mile, stopping when she reaches a small brook.

“Wait here. Bell will be here shortly with Abby and Kane.”

“Mochof, Octavia.”

“You’re welc-“. Octavia stops mid word, trying to remember the Trigedasleng word for you’re welcome.

“Pro,” Lexa interjects.

“Pro,” Octavia repeats. “Mochof, Heda.” Octavia turns to leave. 

Lexa bends down to the water, submerging her hands and watching as the water flowed gently around them. She leans over and bends down further, bringing her face closer to the water. She splashes water upwards, hoping to remove the war paint and blood that had been plastered on her face for 2 days. She scrubs with her fingers, working at the stubborn stains. She stands up quickly as she hears movement behind her.

Abby and Kane were approaching with Bellamy. Lexa notices that Abby was leaning on Kane quite heavily. Octavia stands not far behind them, having agreed to keep watch with Lincoln, who was also nearby, keeping an eye on his Heda, as well as his girlfriend. Lincoln and Octavia had no doubts that this meeting would remain peaceful, but they were alone in the woods.

“Thank you for coming,” Lexa begins. “Are you feeling better, Abby?”

“Yes, thank you. Tell me what happened to Clarke.”

“After we rescued you from the dorm, I wanted to speak with Clarke. She pulled me into the hallway. She was upset, angry with me, rightfully so. I allowed her to express herself and she got angrier and attempted to run away. I followed her outside, tried to show her that I would be there for her, but she wasn’t ready. The guilt of what she had done was starting to catch up to her. She ran again, this time falling through a trapdoor and into a tunnel. I jumped in almost immediately after, but Clarke was not there and did not answer when I called out to her. I believe that someone was keeping her quiet. I now believe it to have been Emerson, the last Mountain Man. Clarke and Emerson were in an Azgeda tunnel. It is imperative that we find Clarke before the Ice Nation Queen does. The last time the Ice Nation Queen got ahold of someone I love, she sent her head to my bedside in a bag. I fear the same for Clarke if we do not move quickly.”

Lexa looks to Abby, who is shaking slightly. Kane jumps into the conversation, taking over for Abby who is clearly too weak to deal with this right now.

“What do we need to do Commander? Do we send someone to the Ice Nation?”

“I would like for the Sky People to become the Thirteenth Clan in my Coalition. Join me, and become Skaikru. I can protect your people and move against Azgeda if it is determined that Clarke is being held captive. If you become a part of my Coalition, I can wage war on Azgeda for kidnapping the leader of Skaikru. I can devote all resources to bringing her back. If you do not join my Coalition, I can travel to Azgeda only as Lexa, and not as the Commander. It will surely be a death wish if we go to Azgeda without the backing of the Coalition.”

Kane looks to Abby, who nods. “We will join your Coalition. We will become Skaikru, the Thirteenth Clan.” Kane announces. “What do we need to do?”

“I will send Lincoln and Octavia to ride to Polis. They can inform the ambassadors that I have called an emergency meeting at Skaikru camp. They will ride here immediately. I will inform the ambassadors of Skaikru’s defeat of Mount Weather and we will vote on initiating you into the Coalition.” 

“A vote?” Marcus asks nervously. “Are we sure they’ll vote yes?”

“You will be given a chance to plead your case and ask for acceptance into the Coalition. You can explain how you defeated the Mountain Men and how you can turn reapers back into men. We will say nothing about Clarke. They do not need to know that she is missing. Plus, we are not even sure if Azgeda has her. There are currently 11 clans: Trikru, Floukru, Sangedakru (Desert Clan), Trishanakru, Yujleda (Broadleaf Clan), Boudalankru, Podakru (Lake People), Ouskejon Kru (Blue Cliff), Delfikru, Ingranronakru (Plains Riders), and Louwoda Kliron Kru (Shallow Valley). You will also have my endorsement. Many of these clans will side with me to avoid being on the outs with the Coalition. You will need to make a good case to join the Coalition, but I do not anticipate any issues.”

“Ok. Please send for the ambassadors. I will prepare for the vote.”

“Thank you Marcus. I am hopeful that Skaikru will join our people very soon.”

Lexa calls Lincoln and Octavia over. “Please ride to Polis as quickly as you can. Bring back all 11 ambassadors and the Coalition branding iron. It is important that you not forgot the iron. Allow the ambassadors a few hours to prepare to leave, but impress the urgency upon them. Under no circumstances are you to mention that Clarke is missing. If anyone asks, Clarke is at Camp Jaha recovering from the time she spent inside Mount Weather.”

“Sha, Heda. Understood. We will leave now.”

“Please be safe,” Lexa says to them both, pressing a dagger into Octavia’s hand.

“Mochof, Heda. We will see you soon.”

Mochof: thank you  
Pro: you’re welcome  
Heda: commander


	9. Chapter 9

Kane spent 3 days working on his speech for the ambassadors. Lexa assured him it was mainly a formality, but he wanted to show the ambassadors that he could be taken seriously as Skaikru’s leader. Abby had regained most of her strength and was helping him as well. Kane had taken over as Chancellor while Abby was recovering, but they would resume their roles as co-Chancellor once she was fully healed. They would also have to find a way to appease Clarke, who had dubbed herself the unofficial leader of The 100. She would not respond well to being stripped of her leadership role.

The ambassadors had arrived the same day Kane had finished his speech. Lexa was relieved when she saw Lincoln and Octavia leading the group, grateful that they had not encountered any obstacles. Lincoln and Octavia worked well together. Lexa thought Lincoln looked happier than he had in years. Octavia was good for him.

Marcus, happy with his speech, was now rehearsing it with Abby, making sure he came across as confident and did not stumble over his words. Lexa had set the meeting for the following evening, giving the ambassadors a day to rest and get acclimated. She had convinced Kane to open Camp Jaha, now named Arkadia, to the ambassadors and the warriors that had traveled with them for protection. He was more than willing, and offered a room to Lexa as well, but it made Lexa sick to think of staying in Clarke’s home without Clarke present. She remained outside Arkadia with Indra and Lincoln, who were used to sleeping in the forest. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye out for hostile Azgeda spies. Lexa spent much of the day inside the walls of Arkadia, but appreciated being alone with her thoughts at night.

Kane had a wonderful meal prepared for dinner before the meeting. He wasn’t trying to bribe the ambassadors, per se, but he wanted to show them that Skaikru could bring a lot to the Coalition.

Lexa sits with Raven and Octavia for dinner before the meeting. Her plate is full of baked chicken, carrots, and homemade french fries. Raven says the french fries are a special treat because potatoes are so hard to grow on the Ark. Lexa is impressed that Kane has gone all out for this meal. She is confident in her decision to invite Skaikru to join her Coalition. She knows they will be a valuable asset.

At the end of the meal, Lexa stands and looks toward the table of ambassadors. She nods and they stand as well. Kane leads them to a small room down the corridor. All 11 ambassadors are present, as well as Lexa, Abby, and Kane. They file into the room and take seats around a large table.

Lexa stands at her place at the head of the table. She will start the meeting and then give the floor to Kane. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I have called you here today to discuss the future of the Sky People. These people fell from our Sky some time ago. We have had positive and negative interactions with one another as we got to know each other. A few months ago, I would have thought this day would not be possible. These Sky People have defeated Mount Weather. They have defeated Mount Weather without our help. The Mountain Men are gone. It was unknown for many years what the Mountain Men were doing with our people, but we now know that they were using our blood to treat their bodies. Some of our own were turned into Reapers. The acid fog that we thought to have been caused by the leftover radiation was a weapon maintained and used by the Mountain to control us. The Mountain controls us no longer, thanks entirely to the Sky People. I move to initiate the Sky People into our Coalition.”

A few of the ambassadors start speaking amongst themselves. Lexa raises her left hand, fingers straight with her index finger extended slightly more than the others. This motion silences the ambassadors. 

“Chancellors Marcus Kane and Abigail Griffin are here representing the Sky People. Kane will speak to you now, and then we will vote. Please be respectful during his speech. You may ask questions at the end.”

“Hello. Thank you so much for coming and thank you for the introduction, Heda. My name is Marcus Kane, and this is Abby Griffin. We arrived on your Earth a short time ago, but 100 of our teenagers and young adults came down before us. We were unsure if the land was survivable. We certainly had no idea there were already people living here. While we were on the Ark,“ he pauses and gestures to the surrounding buildings. “While we were on the Ark, we believed ourselves to be the last of the human race. We understand that it must feel like an intrusion, for us to drop into your territory, Trikru territory,” he adds nodding towards the Trikru ambassador. “We apologize for the pain, destruction, and death that we have caused all of you. With the help of The 100, the kids we sent to the ground, we learned about Mount Weather and we executed a plan to retrieve our people from the Mountain after we learned they had been captured. Your people were freed as well. Ultimately, the people inside Mount Weather perished. We recognize that we are far outnumbered by your Coalition. We have no hope of survival without your blessing. We do not wish to spend our days fighting. We wish to join your Coalition and improve life, both for us and for you. Abby has learned how to change Reapers back into men. Lincoln is living proof of that. We can change back any Reapers you can find. Abby is a doctor, and is willing and able to treat injuries and illnesses to the best of her knowledge. She can work alongside your healers, and teach them as well. We also have knowledge about technology, such as electricity. We are happy to share this knowledge and teach you, or keep it to ourselves if you deem your clans unready for such technology. We will do everything in our power to please Heda and to contribute to your society. We do not wish to change your customs, only to be included. Please allow us to join your Coalition.”

Heda steps in and speaks. “The official bid is for the Sky People to join our Coalition as Skaikru. They will employ one ambassador, an individual to be decided on at a later date. You may ask questions now.”

The ambassador from Sangedakru speaks up first. “Heda abandoned you at the Mountain. Why would you trust her now?”

“The Commander made a choice. A choice that benefitted her people. We cannot fault her for that. We are only trying to align ourselves with Heda, so that the next time she makes that choice, we are on the benefitting side. No one blames Heda for the choice she made.”

“Well, one person does,” Lexa thinks to herself, though she is grateful for Marcus’ words. She snaps back to focus as another ambassador asks a question.

“I have heard much about a blonde girl called Clarke. Where is she? I thought her to be the leader of the Sky People.”

“Yes, it is true that Clarke took control of the situation inside Mount Weather. She had been captured by the Mountain Men, but managed to escape. She had knowledge of the Mountain that neither I nor Abby had, so we allowed her to take the lead. Clarke is currently recovering from the choices she had to make inside the Mountain, mainly pulling the lever which killed all of the Mountain Men.”

Abby pipes up. “Clarke is just a girl. She needs time to heal and forgive herself. She is not the leader of Skaikru.”

“That is the furthest thing from the truth,” Lexa thinks. “Clarke is the only reason these people are still alive.” Lexa schools her face as one more question is asked.

“What is electricity?” the ambassador from the Plains asks.

“This is good,” Lexa thinks. They are starting to come around to the idea.

Marcus walks to the windows and pulls the blinds down, essentially inviting near total darkness into the room. He then walks towards the door and flips a switch about halfway up the wall. A fixture above the table hums to life and the room is illuminated. 

“This is electricity. It can provide lights. It can provide heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. It powers our computers and helps drive our rovers. With Heda’s permission, we can introduce this technology to all clans deemed operable, meaning with a power source. The power source could be the sun, wind, or even moving water. We have engineers who are specially trained in this area. We are happy to share this knowledge with each and every Clan.”

Satisfied with Kane’s answer, the ambassadors settle down and look to Heda.

“If there are no other questions, I will call this matter to a vote. All in favor of Skaikru joining the Coalition, raise your hand.”

The room was so quiet, Lexa was sure someone would hear as she drew in a breath and held it. The Trikru ambassador raised his hand first. He was loyal to his Trikru-born Heda and knew that she was in support of Skaikru. This prompted six other ambassadors to raise their hands. Two more followed, until only Sangedakru and Blue Cliff remained. The vote had to be unanimous, and Lexa shot them a pointed glare. Voting against Skaikru would be a vote against Heda, and that could be damaging to the Coalition. The Blue Cliff ambassador relented first, raising his hand slowly. The Sangedakru ambassador followed suit shortly after.

“It is decided,” Lexa states. “The Sky People will join our Coalition and become Skaikru. An ambassador will be chosen shortly. They will reside in Polis with the other ambassadors. For now, I need one of you,” she looks at Marcus and Abby, “to bear the symbol of the Coalition. We will brand it into your arm, signifying your commitment to the Coalition. 

Marcus steps forward. “I will accept the brand, Heda.”

Lexa nods and heats the iron in the small fireplace in the corner of the room. She approaches Marcus and looks into his eyes, waiting for permission. He rolls up his right sleeve and presents his forearm. He closes his eyes and bows his head, signaling for her to proceed. The hot iron is pressed firmly. The smell of burned flesh enters the air, but it is a necessary step to show allegiance to Heda’s Coalition.

Lexa steps back from Marcus and speaks again, this time to everyone. “Skaikru has been initiated into my Coalition. Their leader, Marcus Kane, has accepted the brand. Let it be known that moving against Skaikru, is a movement against me and the Coalition. Traitors to the Coalition will be dealt with accordingly.”

To Marcus and Abby she adds, “The other Clans respect the brand, and Marcus, you should always be present when dealing with other Clans. The brand I have placed on your arm will protect you.”

“Thank you, Heda. We look forward to working with you and working towards advancement of the other Clans, if they are willing and accepting of our technologies.”

“Yes, Marcus, I’m sure the other Clans will be interested in that. Can you gather a small team of engineers to start thinking about bringing technology to other Clans?”

“Yes, Heda.”

The ambassador from Podakru approaches Heda. “Heda, when can we expect Skaikru’s ambassador to join us?”

“It will be a few weeks. Let’s give Marcus and Abby time to explain the Coalition to their people and choose a representative. You may travel back to Polis without the Skaikru ambassador. I will accompany the new ambassador in due time.”

“Sha, Heda.”

Lexa was happy the ambassadors were on board with Skaikru and willing to be accommodating to the new ambassador. In fact, Lexa already had an idea of who she wanted to be Skaikru’s ambassador.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down! Clarke is back in the next chapter. Let me know how you think she’s doing.


	10. Chapter 10

Clarke had been Echo’s prisoner for five days. They had barely rested and Clarke is weary from the travel. She estimated that they had walked almost 200 miles. Her thigh is throbbing, and each step is becoming more painful than the last. Clarke can tell they are getting close by the temperature in the tunnel. It continues to get colder and colder the further they walk. Clarke shivers in her gray long sleeve tshirt, not dressed appropriately at all. Up ahead, she sees light pouring in from above. They must be almost there. 

By the time they reach their destination a few minutes later, Emerson is long gone. His mind has succumbed to the poison, and the white-faced warriors had not brought the antidote with them. Clarke had heard them arguing about it a few hours ago.

“Why would you use a poison arrow?” Echo questions the largest of the male warriors.

“He was a threat! Shooting bullets at us!”

“A regular arrow would have sufficed. Now Nia won’t get the information she needs from him.”

“The blonde girl has all the information we need.”

“Do you really think she’s going to talk?” Echo questions incredulously.

“Nia will make her talk, don’t worry.”

Emerson is clearly not a threat to Clarke anymore, as he barely remembers his own name, let alone the sensitive information he was going to share with the Queen. Clarke is in complete control of what information the Queen gets. She assumes that the next few days will not be pleasant, but she will try to stay strong. She will not allow Nia to have the upper hand with Lexa.

Echo drags Clarke up the stairs, Clarke stumbling without the use of her hands to steady herself. The five Azgeda warriors, and Clarke and Emerson emerge in a snow covered clearing, in the middle of a fairly substantial city. Clarke recognizes that this is easily twice the size of Tondc. She looks around and sees many two story buildings, much different than the small huts at Tondc. They appear to have been built of concrete. Clarke can’t help but be impressed by the resourcefulness of the Ice Nation. They had obviously adapted and learned how to survive the harsh winters, which seemed to last year round.

Clarke is snapped back to reality when she is approached by an older woman. The headpiece she wears in her light brown hair alerts Clarke that this must be the Queen. “There shouldn’t even be a Queen,” Clarke thinks. Having a Queen is in direct defiance of Lexa’s claim as Commander, especially if said Queen is challenging Lexa’s leadership. Clarke trains her eyes on the ground.

“An incompetent Mountain Man, and who’s this?” Nia questions, lifting Clarke’s chin to get a better look. Clarke scowls, not enjoying being scrutinized by the older woman.

Echo steps in and speaks. “We found her and the Mountain Man in an Azgeda tunnel, about 5 miles outside the Mountain. The Mountain Man told us that she might be particularly useful to you. Something about Leksa. He said that she cares for the Commander.” 

“So, Leksa didn’t learn her lesson with Costia? She’s taken another lover.” Nia looks Clarke up and down. Clarke growls softly as Nia judges her. “She’s prettier than the last one. It was too bad that Costia got caught up in Lexa’s mess. She was such a sweet girl. Not very bright, but sweet.”

Clarke’s eyes snap upwards and glare as Nia continues to speak poorly about Costia. Nia smiles slyly when she sees Clarke start to get upset.

“Calm down, Clarke. You have to calm down,” she admonishes herself internally. “Getting upset will only cause you to lash out, and potentially give away information.” Clarke refrains from looking at Nia again, barely hearing the next words that come out of her mouth.

“Throw the blonde in a cell. Deliver proof of capture to the Sky Camp. Do not leave her unattended. I’ll be down shortly. I need to dispose of the Mountain Man first.”

Echo jerks suddenly on Clarke’s chains and she stumbles, her knees making contact with the ground. The gravel is quickly stained red. Clarke takes one look back at Emerson. She sees Nia approach him. Nia runs her finger along his jawline tauntingly. Then she removes her sword from its sheath. Emerson isn’t even aware of what is about to happen. He stares forward, a lopsided grin on his face. Nia looks toward Clarke, who is watching from her knees. Nia smiles and returns her focus to Emerson. She raises her sword and removes his head with one fell swoop. Clarke cringes as his head makes contact with the gravel, just a few feet from her.

Seeing Nia nod, Echo pulls Clarke to her feet and leads her into a concrete building and down a set of stairs. It is dark, save for two torches at the bottom of the stairs. There are 10 cells in the small basement, 5 on each side. Echo leads Clarke to the last cell on the left. She drags her to the far wall of the cell and attaches her chains to a hook about halfway up the wall. Clarke’s hands are bound tightly behind her back and now she is attached to the wall. She cannot sit, and can barely move away from the wall. She slumps tiredly against the wall. Echo removes a knife from her pocket and approaches Clarke. Clarke winces and shuts her eyes as Echo moves the knife towards her neck. Clarke feels Echo grab a chunk of her hair. She pulls roughly and drags the knife across, separating the hair from Clarke’s head. She tucks the hair into her pocket, locks the door to the cell, and heads back up the stairs. 

Back at Arkadia, Lexa was getting impatient. She had successfully initiated Skaikru into her Coalition. There were some Sky People who were not accepting of the Coalition, but Kane squashed those protests immediately. The people who vocalized displeasure were given a choice: stand down and support the Coalition or leave Arkadia. Marcus was firm; he could not have his people thinking he could be overthrown. He was the Chancellor, and joining the Coalition was the best choice for Arkadia. The Arkadians backed down after that, knowing they could not survive on their own.

The ambassadors had left that morning, eager to return to Polis since their business in Arkadia was finished. Lexa wished she could return with them, but she would remain in Arkadia until Clarke was located. 

Clarke had gotten as comfortable as she could in her cell. She had managed to lean against the wall in a way that took the pressure off her aching thigh. She had been about to fall asleep when the door clangs open above. Queen Nia descends down the stairs and stands outside Clarke’s cell. She calls the guard over to open her cell. A chair is brought in and Clarke is moved from the wall to the chair. She is still chained, with her arms behind her back, but she is able to seek some relief. Clarke readies herself for questions from the Queen, but they never come. Instead, Nia takes a small blade and starts dragging it across various parts of Clarke’s body. A slash on her left arm, one down the right side of her torso, and one bisecting the arrow wound on her leg. She says nothing the entire time, spending less than 5 minutes with Clarke. After her third cut, she motions for the guard to reattach Clarke to the wall. She approaches Clarke once more, landing a punch square to her face. Clarke’s nose begins to bleed, dripping onto the cold, concrete floor. The guard picks up the chair and leaves the cell with Nia. Clarke is locked in again. Nia hangs the knife on a hook near the stairwell, indicating that she would be back soon. Before disappearing upstairs, she commands the guard, “Do not leave them unattended.”

“Them?” Clarke thinks. “Who else is here?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks are in italics.

Lexa had not been sleeping well lately. Her brain was constantly overanalyzing decisions she had made. She was dealing with Lexa’s decisions, as well as Heda’s. The flame was no help at all. For once, the past Commanders had gone silent, unable or unwilling to offer the advice that Lexa truly needed. She had finally fallen asleep when Indra bursts into the tent.

She bows slightly, apologizing for the intrusion. “Apologies, Heda. Something has arrived for you.”

Indra presents an already open box. Lincoln had opened it for inspection before allowing it to be delivered to Lexa. Indra had not seen its contents, only Lincoln.

Lexa carefully opens the flaps of the small box. She pulls out a note with one word on it: “Hurry”. The note is signed with the Azgeda symbol. Under the note lies a generous lock of wavy blonde hair. The color drains from Lexa’s face.

“Heda?” Indra questions. She can see Heda’s face, but cannot see what it is in the box.

“Ready the horses,” Lexa responds.

“Where are we going, Heda?”

“Azgeda.” Lexa removes the contents of the box, gently cradling Clarke’s hair in her hands for Indra to see.

Upon seeing the hair of the blonde sky girl, Indra turns sharply and leaves the tent, headed to find Chancellor Kane.

Clarke spent two more nights in her cell, enduring twelve cuts from Nia’s blade and 6 punches to the face. Nia’s torture increased each night. On the first night she received 3 cuts and 1 punch. On the second night she received 4 cuts and 2 punches. On the third night she received 5 cuts and 3 punches. Nia’s punishment increased each night, but Clarke was grateful it was at a predictable rate. Her face demonstrated varying stages of healing, with deep purple bruises covering most of it. Her right eye was swollen, nearly swollen shut. Her body ached after Nia’s latest round of torture. Clarke quickly learned that Nia did not want anything from her. She simply wanted Clarke to suffer, because Lexa would suffer if Clarke suffered. Clarke had just gotten her latest round of cuts to stop bleeding when she hears a loud commotion above her. There is shouting in a language she does not understand. It sounds like Trigedasleng, the Grounder language, but she does not recognize any of the words. They are not words that Lexa has ever used. The guard holds his post, unbothered by the commotion. However, he immediately responds when he hears this word: faya. Clarke does not know what that word means, but she learns quickly.

The other prisoner speaks softly, calling towards her. “Fire,” he says. “I may be in here, but I still have friends out there.”

“Who are you?” Clarke asks.

“My name is Roan, disgraced prince of Azgeda.”

“Prince?” Clarke questions.

“Disgraced prince,” Roan clarifies. “Queen Nia is my mother.”

Clarke ponders that information for a minute before Roan continues. “I had the fire started so we could talk. I’ve heard a lot about you, Clarke of the Sky People, or should I say, Wanheda.”

“Wanheda?” Clarke questions.

“Yes, Wanheda-Commander of Death. Many Grounders are grateful for the lives you took at the Mountain. You ended years of suffering and freed many of our people.”

“I did not free them. The Commander did that. The Commander your clan refuses to acknowledge.”

“Yes, but without you, we never would have known about what was happening inside the Mountain.”

“How do you even know about Mount Weather? Azgeda is not exactly on good terms with the Coalition.”

“It is true. We are not a part of the Coalition. But we still hear what happens. We have ears everywhere.”

“So, you wanted to talk to me alone? What do you want? I’m not exactly in a position to offer anything.”

“It’s no secret to the people of Azgeda that my mother and I are not on good terms. We haven’t been for awhile. Three years ago, I was seeing a girl, in secret. Her name was Freya. We met while training for the Azgeda Army. Mother did not allow relationships among warriors, so we would sneak away in the evenings to see each other. At the time I was still living with Mother. She was up one night, as I arrived home. She discovered where I had been. She disapproved. The next morning, before training, there was to be an announcement. Mother rarely addressed the army before training. We were both there, standing in formation, when she called us both to the front. She repeated her rules for serving in the army, pausing when she got to number 4. Roan recounted to Clarke what had happened that day.

_“Number 4: No member of the Azgeda Army will engage in personal relations. This rule has been broken by the warriors who stand before you. They will no longer be allowed to serve in the Azgeda Army.”_

Roan looks over at Clarke. “I thought that was the end of it. It was a severe punishment, but not unheard of.” He looks down briefly before continuing the rest.

_Nia stood before Roan briefly before moving to stand in front of Freya. Freya tries to apologize but Nia was hearing none of it. She draws her sword and swiftly removes Freya’s head mid-sentence. Roan stares at his lover’s head on the ground. He refuses to show any emotion. He would not give his mother the satisfaction. Nia moves to stand in front of him. He braces himself, ready for his fatal blow, but it never comes. He opens his eyes and meets the cold, blue eyes of his mother. She turns to face the warriors. “Let it be known that any warrior who defies my rules will be met with this fate. Roan will escape it, only because he is my son. He will be banished from Azgeda lands, never to return.”_

“I was banished for almost three years. Two years into my banishment, I realized that someone was watching me. Tracking my movement, but staying at a distance. She would show up every couple of weeks, hang around for a day or two, and then disappear again.” Roan thinks back to his first meeting.

_Roan had noticed the small warrior a few weeks ago. She was doing a good job staying out of sight, but years in the wilderness had sharpened Roan’s senses. When she returns again that morning, Roan decides to take action. He flees quickly, hoping to take her on a chase. He grins when he looks back and notices her following him. He changes direction and boxes her in, pinning her against a fairly large stream. Then he attacks. He has the element of surprise and manages to disarm her without drawing a weapon. She struggles for a bit, calming when she sees who has captured her._

_“Hi Roan.” Roan looks into her eyes, confused by who is looking back at him._

_“Ash?” he questions._

Clarke interrupts Roan’s storytelling. “You knew her?”

“Yes. Ash had been taken from her family at 8 years old. Azgeda warriors had raided her village. Her father was killed for resisting, and her mother had burned in a fire. I was there, with my grandfather, who was overseeing the attack. I was 12, set to join the Azgeda Army the following year. Grandfather decided this would be a good test for me, to determine my readiness to serve Azgeda. Ash was my prisoner on the walk back to Azgeda. She hated me, Clarke. She had watched my people destroy her family and her home. She cried the first part of our walk. The second part, she was angry, lashing out and refusing the water I would offer. By the time we reached Azgeda, she was emotionless; an 8 year old little girl, whose whole life was changed in a matter of moments. Mother took her when we arrived. I didn’t see her again until that day in the woods.” Roan continues his story.

_“It’s Echo now. Ash is dead.”_

_“Why are you watching me, Echo?”_

_“Queen Nia sent me. Your mother saved my life, Roan. She gave me a purpose after you and your grandfather destroyed my family. I owe everything to Nia, and I do what she asks without question. She wants regular updates on your whereabouts.”_

_“What for? She’s never cared about me before.”_

_“I do not ask questions. I only follow orders.”_

Roan looks up at Clarke, eyes wide as she listens. “Echo reported back to my Mother for six months. She’d come to see me about once a week. We developed a friendship and she started trusting me, telling me things. Stuff like what was going on in Polis, when Natblidas were discovered, the sort. Six months ago, she raced out to find me. People had fallen from the Sky! She couldn’t believe it, and I couldn’t fathom it. Two months ago is when tensions rose between Trikru and the Sky People. Echo “escorted” me back to Azgeda and dropped me into this cell, compliments of Mother. Mother had decided that it was no longer safe for me to be banished. The other clans had heard about my banishment and were told to leave me alone, but the Sky People would not know who I was. Echo told me they would kill upon meeting me. So, she brought me back here. I’ve been in this cell for two months. Echo visits when she can, but Mother has had her running all sorts of errands lately. Echo can feel that she is falling out of favor with Mother, being sent on frivolous missions, such as to patrol the tunnels. Mother no longer wants Echo by her side. During Echo’s last visit, she insinuated that the Azgeda warriors are growing restless under Mother’s control. She has long ruled over them with an iron fist, but more and more warriors are starting to detest her violent ways.”

Roan pauses, and looks to Clarke. She asks, “What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Lexa,” Roan responds, as if that one word explains it all. Clarke gazes at him, silently asking for more information.

“Echo and I have been plotting to overthrow Mother. She says 80% of the Azgeda Army will be loyal to an Azgeda King. Echo isn’t strong enough or smart enough to kill Mother, and Mother keeps a good eye on me, with the guards making sure I stay locked up. The guards positioned in this jail are loyal to Queen Nia. We knew we would need something big to distract Mother and take the attention off of me. We were just working out that part of our plan when Echo picked you up in the tunnel. The talk of Lexa was enough to get Echo’s wheels turning, and the five day walk back to Azgeda solidified the plan in her mind. We are going to bring Lexa to Azgeda to kill the Queen.”


	12. Chapter 12

Lexa takes a deep breath and blinks back tears. She sends up a quick prayer for Clarke’s safety. Then she holds Clarke’s hair to her face, trying desperately to feel connected to her lost love by inhaling her scent. It helps her feel a little better, but not much. She tucks Clarke’s hair into her pocket and quickly exits the tent. Lincoln and Octavia stand nearby awaiting instructions. Lincoln went to find Octavia immediately after he had seen the contents of the box. He knew Lexa would want to leave right away and he knew Octavia should come with them. 

“Lincoln, Octavia! I need you to ride again. Please ride to Tondc and gather as many warriors as you can. Meet us outside Azgeda tomorrow. I need you to ride quickly.” She sidesteps, essentially cutting Octavia out of the conversation. She whispers to Lincoln, “Bring Nyko. I don’t know what shape Clarke will be in”.

“Sha, Heda. Octavia, let’s go.”

Lexa rushes into Arkadia, looking for Kane. He exits the main gate, just as she approaches. 

“Indra came to see me. What do we need?”

“Rations for 7 people for a few days. Is Abby well enough for a trip to Azgeda? I’ve arranged for Nyko to join us, but it might be good to bring Abby as well.”

“Yes, she’ll want to come.”

“Ok, make that 8 rations. We leave in 20 minutes.”

Clarke thinks for a minute before answering Roan. “What good will that do? Lexa won’t just kill her.”

“Lexa avoids Azgeda at all costs and Mother avoids Polis and all other clans. They have not been together since before Lexa ascended. Since then, Mother beheaded Costia, Lexa’s lover. Lexa chose not to retaliate. Several clans in the Coalition would have sided with Azgeda, so Lexa chose not to risk the strength of the Coalition. She kept the Coalition intact and swallowed her feelings of resentment. After setting the fire, Echo was to ride straight towards Arkadia. She is hoping to intercept Lexa on her way here, and let her know the plan.”

“And what is the plan?”

“Lexa will arrive in Azgeda. Mother will likely brag and show off that she has captured you. After all, she ordered your hair to be sent to Arkadia. She knows that Lexa will come for you, but she does not know that we have orchestrated it. Mother has been training her army hard for years, yearning for the day when she can overthrow Lexa and take control of the Coalition. With Lexa in Azgeda, now is the perfect opportunity. Mother will challenge Lexa to solo gonplei for control of the Coalition. I will be chosen as her Champion to fight against Lexa.”

“Why would Lexa agree to that? She already controls the Coalition; why would she risk losing it?”

“Because, she’ll be fighting for you. She’ll be fighting for your release.” 

Clarke groans internally. “Great,” she thinks. “Roan doesn’t know that Lexa already chose her people over me once. And he just said that she previously chose the Coalition over her former lover. I’m going to die here when Lexa abandons me once again.” Clarke tries not to think about her upcoming death and presses Roan with more questions.

“How are you so sure you’ll be chosen as Champion?”

“Mother may have banished me, but I’m still the best warrior by a long shot.”

“I thought the plan was for you to rule Azgeda? If Lexa has to kill you, how do we accomplish that?”

“You leave that part to me and Lexa. We’ll get it done.”

“One more question: Why are you more loyal to Lexa than your own Mother?”

“Mother and I have never quite seen eye to eye. She has always valued power over relationships. My grandfather, Theo, was a calm, but just, ruler. He punished those who had wronged him, and took lands and people that were not his to take. He believed he was doing it for the good of Azgeda. Theo was a formidable leader, but he always treated his people, the people of Azgeda, with respect. Mother does everything for the good of Nia. The people of Azgeda are simply her subjects, and they are disposable to her. I am loyal to Lexa because we have suffered similar fates. Both of our lovers were beheaded. Lexa rose to power despite this, while I was banished to live in the wilderness. Lexa and I crossed paths a few times during my banishment. She would leave me with supplies and any food she could spare. Lexa treated me like a person, which is more than I could say of Mother. Lexa is a true leader and a good Commander. She deserves to rule over all clans with peace. If our plan is successful, remind me to tell you the story of my father." 

“Your father?” Clarke questions. 

“Shh,” Roan whispers. The guard has returned to his post, though this time it is a new guard. 

Nia storms down the steps, not 30 seconds later. She looks at Clarke, who is slumped against the wall. Then she looks towards Roan, who Clarke realizes is chained, but not attached. He is able to freely move around his cell. Satisfied with the state of her prisoners, she returns above ground.

Lexa and her traveling party are about 50 miles outside Azgeda territory when she sees a warrior approaching on horseback. Lincoln draws an arrow and aims it into her chest. The warrior has no weapons drawn and approaches slowly, dismounting her horse. Lincoln keeps the arrow nocked, until Lexa motions for him to withdraw.

Echo drops to her knees, bowing before Heda.

“Rise”, Lexa calls. “Who are you?”

Echo arises to her feet. “Heda, I am Echo kom Azgeda. I am a friend of Roan’s. I am responsible for the capture of the blonde sky girl and the Mountain Man.”

Lexa starts to seethe. Echo notices and quickly continues. “The blonde sky girl-“

“Clarke. Her name is Clarke!” Lexa growls.

“Yes, ok, Clarke. Clarke was a prisoner of the Mountain Man when we met. That Mountain Man is dead. He succumbed to a poisoned arrow. I was smart enough to use a regular arrow.” She whispered that last part under her breath, but Lexa heard it.

“You shot her?!” Lexa is ready to charge at Echo, but Indra holds her back.

“She’s ok. She survived the walk to Azgeda. Nia has her locked in a cell and is torturing her daily. She seems ok so far; she’s tough. Roan has a plan. I’m here to fill you in.”

“Roan? Isn’t he still banished?”

“No, Nia had me bring him back to Azgeda when tensions rose between Trikru and the Sky People. He is locked in a cell. He’s keeping an eye on Clarke.”

“So what’s the plan?” Lexa asks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sha, heda: Yes, commander
> 
> Clarke and Lexa reunite in the next chapter. Stay tuned!


	13. Chapter 13

After filling Lexa in on Roan’s plan, Echo quickly rides back towards Azgeda. She needs to get back before Nia notices that she is gone. She also needs to arrive sooner than Lexa, and she imagines Lexa will ride quickly. 

Luckily for Echo, Nia is busy with Clarke when she returns roughly 4 hours after her meeting with Lexa. Echo sneaks back into Azgeda, unnoticed by everyone except a small group of warriors. They glance at her sideways, but she recognizes them as loyal to Roan, and simply nods. They nod back in silent understanding. Echo descends the stairs to the basement, where Roan and Clarke are located. She sees Nia in the cell with Clarke, with her back turned, having not yet noticed Echo. Echo quickly glances towards Roan, catching his attention. She then looks towards the guard, and when she sees that his back is turned, she quickly nods at Roan, letting him know that she had met with Lexa.

Echo approaches Nia and Clarke next. Clarke is looking much worse than yesterday. Her face is covered in bruises and is bleeding as well. Echo quickly glances at Nia’s hands and sees that she is wearing her rings, which would explain the new cuts on Clarke’s face. Echo can also see a deep slash across Clarke’s abdomen, which is quickly spilling blood. Clarke looks to be on the verge of passing out. Echo needs to get Nia to stop. The plan will not work if Clarke is dead.

“Nia?” Echo asks quietly, trying not to anger the woman by interrupting her.

Nia turns her attention from Clarke to Echo. “What do you want?” she snarls.

“Ma’am, I just spoke with the scouts. They noticed movement in the south woods about 20 miles out.” 

Nia’s face lights up when she hears this. “It’s showtime.”

Lexa arrives in Azgeda roughly 5 hours after meeting with Echo. She pushed the horses hard, not wanting Clarke to suffer at Nia’s hand any longer than she had to. However, Abby and Marcus were not skilled riders and they slowed her down some.

Nia and Echo are waiting for Lexa as she reaches the Azgeda gates. Since Azgeda is not part of the Coalition, Lexa cannot just barge in. Nia has to invite her.

“Leksa,” Nia sneers. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Lexa responds, clearly annoyed at Nia’s theatrics. “I believe you have something of mine.”

“Something of yours?” Nia questions.

Lexa keeps a straight face, not wanting to give away how much Clarke means to her. “Yes, you may not imprison the leader of Skaikru. Skaikru is a member of my Coalition.” She motions to Marcus, who rolls up his sleeve and presents the seal of the Coalition. Lexa gathers some confidence before saying, “I demand you release her now.”

Nia just laughs, not used to being told what to do, especially in her territory. “Tell you what. I’ll take you to see the skai gada, and you can decide just how much she’s worth to you.”

Lexa nods. Drawing in a breath, she sends up another prayer for Clarke’s safety. Lexa looks back to Abby and Marcus and motions for them to stay behind. Marcus holds Abby back as Echo leads Lexa down the stairs to the basement dungeon, with Nia following close behind. Echo unlocks the cell door. Lexa gasps when she sees Clarke. Clarke is huddled on the floor, much smaller than Lexa remembers her being. “Probably because she hasn’t eaten,” Lexa thinks. Lexa bends down and moves her hair aside, and gasps again upon seeing her face. The dark bruises and swelling make Clarke unrecognizable, save for her blonde hair. 

“Clarke,” she whispers, not sure if she’ll receive an answer. She shakes her gently, becoming alarmed when Clarke does not respond. A single tear escapes from the corner of Lexa’s eye. She blinks it away quickly before Nia can see. Lexa steels herself before standing up to face Nia.

Nia speaks first, setting the tone for the conversation. “If the leader of Skaikru means so much to you, you can fight for her-solo gonplei.”

“She is dead!” Lexa explodes. “What good would it do to fight for her?”

“If you do not fight for her, I will remove her head from her body, chop the rest of her up, and make sure you never find the pieces. She will end up worse off than Costia. You need to learn that Heda is not to take a lover.”

Lexa considers for a moment before responding. Trikru are to burn their dead, with as much of the body as possible. Lexa could not properly say goodbye to Costia because she only had her head. Lexa decides that she will try to give Clarke a proper goodbye. Clarke did nothing to deserve the fate given to her by the Ice Queen. Lexa also knows that her Coalition will never be at peace with Nia in charge of Azgeda. She has to trust in Roan’s plan, but Echo never mentioned that Clarke was dead. This angers Lexa, she feels betrayed, but she quickly makes peace with it and makes a decision.

“Ok, I will fight for Clarke’s body. I want her unchained. No one is to touch her until solo gonplei is over.”

“As you wish. Echo, unchain her,” Nia commands.

Echo leans over and unlocks the chains around Clarke’s wrists. As she is doing so, she feels something. A flutter, directly underneath where the chains used to lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skai gada: sky girl  
> Solo gonplei: solo fight
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter! More coming soon!


	14. Chapter 14

“Clarke is alive!” Echo thinks silently. She knows her face has betrayed her, but luckily Lexa and Nia both have their backs turned. Lexa is unable to look at Clarke any longer and Nia has turned her attention to Roan. He lies on the concrete floor, appearing to be asleep, but Echo knows that he has been listening the whole time. Roan, Lexa, and Nia all think that Clarke is dead.

“Get up,” Nia shouts through the bars at Roan. “The time has come for you to fight. Fight valiantly for Azgeda and your banishment will be lifted.”

Roan rouses himself and slowly stands, towering over his mother. “Yes mother,” comes his response.

Echo opens the door to his cell and unchains him. She tries to slip him a message that Clarke is still alive, but Nia is keeping too close a watch.

The foursome ascend the stairs and emerge into the bright sunlight. Lexa spots Abby looking at her with concerned, questioning eyes, but Lexa looks away quickly to avoid giving away Clarke’s condition.

“What is this?!” Nia suddenly shouts.

Lexa turns around and sees what Nia is referring to. Lincoln, Octavia, and Nyko are approaching on horseback, with about 50 Trikru warriors behind them.

“Heda does not travel unprotected. You know this.” Indra steps forward, approaching the Ice Queen for the first time.  
“Those warriors are not welcome on Azgeda land!” Nia shouts. She is clearly not happy and can feel herself losing control.

Lexa steps in and commands the warriors to return to the woods, just outside the Azgeda gate. “They will not leave, but they will stay outside the gates.”

Nia concedes. “Fine. Let’s get on with this. Solo gonplei starts in one hour.” Nia turns on her heels and strides away.

“Solo gonplei?” Abby questions. “Lexa, what is she talking about?”

“Solo gonplei means solo fight. It is a one-on-one fight for a prize. A fight to the death. I will be fighting for Clarke’s release.” Lexa does not think it is necessary for anyone else to know that Clarke is dead. She keeps that information to herself.

“What does the Ice Queen want?”

“Control of the Coalition.”

Octavia breaks her silence and says, “Nia is old, you can take her Lexa. It will be an easy fight.”

“Wishful thinking,” Lexa responds. “Nia is able to choose a champion to fight on her behalf. She has chosen her son, Roan.” Lexa nods towards the large man standing awkwardly near Nia.

“But he’s twice your size! He’ll kill you an instant!” Octavia shouts, worried for her Heda’s safety.

Lexa responds calmly. “If that is my fate, I will accept it,” she says aloud before silently thinking, “At least I will be reunited with Clarke.”

“Heda, you need to prepare for your fight. Allow me to assist you,” Indra offers.

“Mochof Indra.”

55 minutes later, Lexa stands just outside the Azgeda gates, saying a quick goodbye to her horse. Octavia approaches, with a sad, but determined look on her face. She takes a deep breath before speaking to her Heda.

“Don’t worry about Clarke. I’ll take care of her.”

“Thank you Octavia,” Lexa responds, dropping her gaze to the ground. She cannot let anyone know that Clarke is already dead, or they would dissuade her from fighting with Nia. They would say that she is being reckless, fighting with her life for the chance to burn Clarke’s body.

“Abby might not even want to burn Clarke’s body,” Lexa thinks. She knows they burned Finn’s body, but only because she requested it. Lexa did not know what the Skaikru did with their dead now that they were on the ground.

“It’s too late,” Lexa mumbles. She can’t back out now.

“Too late for what?” Octavia questions. Lexa snaps out of her thoughts, suddenly aware that Octavia is still standing there.

“Nothing, never mind.” Luckily, Octavia drops it. She walks away, but not before adding a quick “good luck”.

Indra rushes up next. “Heda, you have to hurry. Nia is almost ready to start and you have not donned your armor.”

Indra walks behind Lexa and drapes her armor around her shoulders. “Mochof Indra.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you Heda?”

“If I lose, flee quickly. Nia will be out for blood and will kill all of you. Make sure Marcus and Abby get out of here. Put them on the back of someone’s horse. Do not let them ride.”

“Heda, what about Roan’s plan? You will not die today.”

“I do not have confidence in Roan’s plan. There have been some complications, some unforeseeable obstacles.” Lexa did not want to tell Indra about Clarke, and luckily she did not have to. The horn sounding the beginning of the fight could be heard in the background.

“Heda, we have to hurry.” Indra turns on her heel and the warrior flanks her Heda as she walks towards the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Solo gonplei: solo fight  
> Heda: commander  
> Mochof: thank you
> 
> Sorry for dragging this out. I promise it will pick up soon!


	15. Chapter 15

Lexa walks into the arena. There are many jeering Azgeda warriors filling the stands. They have not witnessed a solo gonplei in many years and they are eager for a good fight.

Lexa approaches the center of the arena, waiting for Roan to join her. He is talking to Nia, who has not yet taken her place above the arena. She will oversee the fight. Nia presents Roan with a sword, the one he had always used. He was unfamiliar with it now, as it had been many years since he had used it. He exchanges some words with Nia, though Lexa cannot hear what is said. 

Lexa adjusts her armor, throwing her red cape over her left shoulder before unclipping it. It falls to the ground beneath her. Her hair is plaited, with the braids extending down her back. She sports the traditional face of a warrior, her charcoal warpaint dipping down from her eyes in three strokes. Lexa unsheathes her sword, briefly inspecting it for damage. She watches as Nia walks up the wooden stairs and sits in a large chair at the top. Echo stands to her right.

Roan approaches Lexa and extends his right hand. To an onlooker, it appears to be a friendly gesture of good faith before a fight. To Lexa, it is a promise to make good on the plan. Lexa clasps her hand in Roan’s. They break when Nia begins to speak. 

“Leksa has traveled here in search of her love, Klark of the Sky People. She has vowed to fight solo gonplei for Klark. In return for this opportunity my son, Roan, will fight on my behalf for control of the Coalition. When this fight is over, Azgeda will rule over all 12 clans and Skaikru will be no more. Echo, please retrieve Klark of the Sky People.”

Lexa starts to get nervous. This was not part of the plan. She doesn’t want Clarke’s dead body on display for the fight. Nia promised that no one would touch her until solo gonplei was over. Lexa seethes internally when she realizes Nia is deliberately trying to get a rise out of her.

Echo rushes down to the dungeon. She knows she needs a few minutes alone with Clarke if their plan is to be successful. Nia will come looking if it takes too long. Echo hastily unlocks Clarke’s cell door. Clarke is still on the ground, huddled in a small ball. Echo shakes Clarke, gently at first, then more aggressively. Clarke is still not waking up, so Echo checks her wrist again for sign of life. The steady thump, thump, thump is still there. Echo has to wake Clarke up, and fast!

“ECHO!” she hears from above. Nia is done waiting for her prize to be delivered. Echo starts to panic, realizing that their plan might not work if Clarke doesn’t wake up. She carefully removes the item that the Skaikru man, Marcus, gave to her. It is heavy in her hands and Echo does not know what it does. She places it in Clarke’s back pocket before dragging Clarke to her feet and lifting her into her arms. Echo staggers a bit under the dead weight, but manages to emerge from the dungeon with Clarke in her arms. She walks towards the arena, where she is met by the jeering Azgeda warriors, the ones still loyal to Nia at least. The warriors loyal to Roan are there as well, participating, but doing significantly less jeering. Echo deposits Clarke into a small cell that sits above the arena. The cell is directly across from Nia. If Clarke were to wake up, she would have an excellent view of the fight.

Lexa looks up sadly at Clarke. She isn’t moving and shows no resistance against Echo. She looks towards Abby, who is staring right back at her. No words are exchanged, but their eyes communicate everything that needs to be said.

“You knew. You knew she was already dead.”

“Yes.”

Nia interrupts the silent conversation between Lexa and Abby. “You fight for nothing! Skai gada no mo!”

Abby gets up from her seat and walks briskly out of the arena. She will not let Nia see how this new development has affected her, but she needs to get out of there. Lexa looks over to Marcus and nods slightly. He gets up and follows Abby out. She has already passed the Azgeda gate and is headed into the woods. He jogs to catch up with her.

“Abby,” he calls, slightly out of breath as he reaches her. She turns around, tear stains evident on her cheeks with more pooling in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She lets out a sob and launches herself into his arms.

“Shh, shh,” Marcus coos. He holds her tight and she snuggles into his chest. He doesn’t tell her it’ll be alright; he’s not sure it will be. 

Marcus leads Abby back to the arena. They need to be close to Indra for protection if something happens to Lexa and Roan’s plan fails. 

“I do not fight for nothing. I fight for Clarke kom Skaikru!” Abby and Marcus walk back into the arena as Lexa is finishing yelling at Nia.

Nia stands from her chair and raises her hand to hush the crowd. “BEGIN,” she shouts.

Lexa and Roan move slowly, circling, each afraid to make the first move. Roan jabs in with his sword, letting Lexa know that it was okay to begin. Lexa takes a few quick steps in, forcing Roan backwards. She almost has him pinned against the side of the arena when he lunges, driving his sword forward. It scrapes across the side of Lexa’s left thigh. The cut burns, but gives Lexa the motivation to strike. She advances towards Roan, who is dancing around, trying to avoid her. Lexa makes several slashes in the air, but none find flesh, clanging instead with the metal from Roan’s blocks. She can hear Nia up above laughing at her. Lexa grits her teeth and settles in. She sends her blade forward, nicking Roan’s ear as he attempts to dodge. Roan goes on the offensive next and manages to lock Lexa’s sword with his, both fighting for control. Roan is slowly overtaking her, when Lexa makes the decision to use her left hand to assist. She grabs Roan’s sword with her left hand, using both arms to push it off. Roan staggers backwards and Lexa makes the next move, slashing her sword across Roan’s calf as he changes direction. The cut is deep, and Roan immediately has trouble bearing weight on it. Sensing her opportunity, Lexa grabs Roan by his hair and drives her knee into his face. He stumbles backwards, landing on his back. Lexa walks over and drives the heel of her boot into his face. He is bleeding and starting to swell. Lexa pauses a minute, and when he does not get up, she takes a few steps backwards.

Nia starts shouting at Roan in Trigedasleng. “Get up! If you die, you don’t die a prince, you die a coward!”

Roan still does not move. Lexa walks back over and raises her sword with both hands, prepared to drive it into Roan’s chest. She effectively blocks Roan’s face from Nia and most of the spectators. Roan slowly opens his eyes and winks at Lexa. Lexa lowers her sword and turns to face the crowd. “This man is dead! I claim victory for the Coalition.”

Nia leaps to her feet and flies down the stairs, approaching Roan quickly. She needs to see for herself that he is indeed dead. Roan steels himself as his mother approaches, knowing that another blow is coming. Sure enough, Nia gives him a swift kick to the side. Roan braces himself and does not move when the blow is delivered. Nia backs away slowly; she is starting to understand that he is dead and she has lost.

Lexa shouts up at Echo. “Unchain Clarke! I have won solo gonplei and I want her released.”

“Not so fast, Leksa,” Nia sneers. “You may have defeated my boy, but if you want the Sky Girl back, you must also defeat me!”

Lexa responds with an equal amount of venom in her words. “That was not the deal.”

“My land, my rules. Continue to fight or walk away with nothing.”

“It won’t be your land for long,” Lexa thinks. Lexa accepts the new deal, knowing it will do no good to argue with Nia. “When I kill you, how do I know your people will obey?” Lexa asks.

Nia turns to her warriors and says “IF Lexa kills me, you will follow and obey her. If you do not, the Trikru warriors will kill you. Acknowledge understanding.”

The Azgeda warriors look amongst themselves before collectively turning to Nia and standing at attention, letting her know that they understand and accept the terms.

Nia looks toward Lexa, who nods, formally accepting the new deal. Nia strides to the center of the arena and beckons for Lexa to join her. She accepts a small spear from one of her warriors on her way to the center of the arena.

Lexa and Nia clasp hands briefly in the center of the arena before they begin circling each other. Lexa is moving slower than before, the blow that Roan landed affecting her agility. Nia jabs her spear forward, but Lexa blocks the blow before it reaches her. Nia tries again, this time landing a blow to the lateral side of Lexa’s non-dominant arm. Lexa staggers backwards, unsteady on her feet. Nia takes this opportunity to charge at Lexa. Lexa dodges her easily and trips Nia as she goes by. Nia flies through the air, landing on the ground with a thud. Nia flips onto her back quickly, not wanting to be exposed for too long. Her breathing is labored; the wind was knocked out of her when she hit the ground. Lexa approaches quickly and slashes across Nia’s upper legs and abdomen, landing three blows in quick succession. The red blood of the older woman spills quickly. 

Lexa is about to end the Ice Queen, when a gasp from the crowd draws her attention. She looks toward Abby, whose eyes have not left Clarke since she returned to the arena.

Lexa looks up towards Clarke and lets out a silent gasp of her own. Clarke is stirring, moving slightly. She cannot stand, but she moves herself into a sitting position, making eye contact with Lexa for the first time since Mount Weather. Lexa beams up at Clarke, who offers her a small smile. Suddenly, the smile is wiped from Clarke’s face. She opens her mouth and tries to scream, but she is too weak. Clarke’s attempted warning is not enough and Nia quickly approaches Lexa from behind, swiping her off her feet with one motion of the spear. Lexa falls, and lands on her back, facing Nia. Nia plunges her spear into Lexa’s abdomen, just below her right breast. Lexa groans as the spear is removed. She knows the cut is deep. It is so deep that Lexa is unable to get back up. She will be unable to finish the fight. Lexa feels stupid. She knows better than to let her focus waver during a solo gonplei. Clarke will have to watch her die now. Lexa wants to take one last look at Clarke before Nia finishes her off. She quickly glances up at Nia, who is poised to strike again, then whips her head around to look at Clarke. 

When Clarke saw Nia strike Lexa, she unsteadily jumped to her feet. In doing so, she felt something heavy in her back pocket. Her left hand reached behind her and pulled out a small handgun. Holding it behind her back, she looks back towards Lexa. Nia has her spear raised again, looking down at Lexa, who was looking right at Clarke with tears in her eyes. Clarke quickly brings forth the gun and fires, striking Nia in the chest. Nia collapses, falling on top of Lexa’s legs.

Clarke whips around in her cell, needing to be with Lexa, but discovers that she is locked in.

“AHHH!” She screams, frustrated that she cannot get to Lexa. Luckily, Echo is there almost immediately and lets her out. Clarke staggers down the stairs, still weak from her ordeal. She makes it to Lexa ten steps later. Abby is already there, assessing the damage and holding pressure to the wound.

“Lex,” Clarke whispers, tears immediately spilling out of her eyes.

“Clarke,” Lexa chokes out. She’s struggling to breathe. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m here, I’m okay. Don’t try to talk. We need to fix you.”

Abby speaks up. “The spear punctured your lung. I need to remove the outside air and re-inflate your lung. Marcus, bring me my med bag.”

Marcus hurries over with Abby’s black medical bag. She rifles through it quickly, and pulls out some small tubing. She looks down at Lexa and says “This is going to hurt.”

Lexa reaches for Clarke’s hand and nods before squeezing her eyes shut. Abby pushes the tubing into Lexa’s pleural cavity. Lexa moans softly. She tries her best to remain strong and not show weakness. Abby continues to push the tubing in until it starts hissing, indicative of the air leaving the space around Lexa’s lung. Lexa starts to feel better immediately, and feels like she can breathe again. Lexa sits up a bit, and looks up at Abby.

“Does that feel better?” Abby questions.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good. Let me just bandage you up quick.”

Now that Lexa is feeling better, she remembers where she is. She quickly tries to stand, but Abby pushes her back down.

“Woah, woah, woah. Lexa, you were just stabbed. You need to take a minute.”

“Nia.” Lexa whispers, looking over their shoulders. 

The group turns around and sees Nia. Indra sprung into action immediately after the shot was fired and placed Nia in handcuffs. Nia is slowly bleeding out, but she isn’t dead yet.

“You bitch,” she spits at Clarke. “Solo gonplei is a one-on-one fight. You can’t both fight, and Sky weapons are not allowed.”

Clarke is about to speak, when someone else walks up and speaks for her.

“You broke the rules of solo gonplei first, after you stepped in when I was defeated,” Roan calls. He grabs the Nia’s chains from Indra and roughly pulls her to her feet. 

“Queen Nia, you are a disgrace to Azgeda and a traitor to the Coalition. Your harsh ways will not continue,” Roan continues.

“I am not dead, and neither is she,” Nia says, pointing at Lexa. “And neither are you, for that matter. Solo gonplei must continue.”

“No,” Roan says definitively. “Solo gonplei ends now.”

Nia is not used to being spoken to in that manner, especially by her son. “You dare defy me, I am Queen of Azgeda.”

“Not anymore,” Roan declares. He takes his sword from Echo, and hands her Nia’s chains. Echo stands behind Nia, holding her at arm’s length. Roan lifts his sword, and slashes it across his mother’s neck, ending her life once and for all.

As her head hits the dirt, Roan turns to the Azgeda warriors, many of whom have stood up in support of their Queen.

“Your kwin ste stedaunon. Ai laik your King. Stand with me and be united under the Coalition, or fight me for control of Azgeda.”

Three of the larger warriors approach quickly, swords drawn. Roan makes quick work of them, plunging his sword into the first two, and a spear into the third.

“Anyone else?” he calls. The other warriors look down quickly, not wanting to make eye contact with the angry king.

Lexa sits up and shouts at the warriors: “Bow before your King.”

The warriors bow before Roan, laying down their weapons. Roan walks toward Lexa and pulls her to her feet. Roan tells the warriors to stand, then says, “Bow before your Heda.”

The warriors quickly sink to their knees once more. Lexa addresses them: “The Queen is dead. Long live the King!”

Lexa and Roan look towards the submitted Azgeda warriors and then turn to each other. They both feel better, knowing that Nia is dead. They feel that Costia and Freya can finally rest in peace.

Lexa calls out. “Azgeda will join the Coalition as the 13th Clan. King Roan will remain in charge, under my orders as Heda.” The warriors look to Roan, who nods, accepting his responsibility for his people. “Anyone who dares defy an order from King Roan will be punished with work detail or banishment, depending on the severity of the crime. You are dismissed.”

The Azgeda warriors disperse, talking amongst themselves about what they just witnessed. It was certainly the most interesting solo gonplei they had ever seen. As the warriors walk away, Lexa notices a small girl with them. She must have been hiding in the stands. Her long dark hair is pulled into a single braid, and her piercing blue eyes lock briefly with Lexa’s before she turns and hurries away from the arena. Lexa can’t help but wonder who she is.

Lexa turns back to Clarke and wraps her in a hug. Roan surprises everyone by doing the same with Echo.

“We need to get some ice for your face, babe,” Echo says as she pulls out of Roan’s hug.

Lexa arches her eyebrows at Roan when she hears Echo’s pet name for him. “Babe?” she whispers silently, so only Roan can hear.

He nods, pulling Echo in for one more hug before walking off to get some ice.

Lexa turns her attention to Clarke, the girl still clinging to her. She pulls away slightly and locks eyes with Clarke. “I thought I lost you,” she says, her voice small.

“Thank you for saving me. I know you had a choice to make. Thank you for choosing me this time,” Clarke says.

“I let my responsibilities as Heda interfere at the mountain. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my days showing you how much you mean to me.”

“I’d like that very much,” Clarke says. She wraps her arms around Lexa’s neck and pulls her in for a searing kiss. When they break apart, Clarke says “We bear it, so they don’t have to.”

Lexa nods, adding, “We will bear it together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Solo gonplei: solo fight  
> Leksa: Lexa  
> Klark: Clarke  
> Skai gada no mo: Sky Girl no more  
> Your kwin ste stedaunon: Your queen is dead  
> Ai laik your king: I am your king  
> Heda: Commander
> 
> I feel that this could be a good stopping place, but I do have more storylines to explore, plus fluffy Clexa, if you’re interested. Drop me a comment if you’d like to see this story continue.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing Clexa. Let me know what you think! I'm planning to update once a week. Comments and kudos keep me motivated!


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